Close to 700 Syrians who had agreed to cross over gathered at dawn in Wadi Hmayyed outside  the border town of Arsal, Lebanon to make the trek back to Syria. Lebanese authorities say the repatriations, coordinated by the country’s General Security agency, are voluntary, amid voices from rights groups saying the program may involve elements of coercion.

The Syrian refugees fled the violence in the aftermath of protests against Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad in 2011. At its peak, Lebanon hosted around 1.2 million Syrians.

It’s been exactly three years since ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi died when he set off his suicide vest as U.S. forces raided a compound in Barisha, Syria where he was hiding.

Baghdadi’s death was confirmed by then-president Trump.

It has been five years since the Islamic State  was driven from its Syrian headquarters at Raqqa.  

The city is still recovering from the devastation caused by the battle between U.S.-backed Kurdish-led forces and the Islamic State. Raqqa’s public parks are open, the streets are busy with traffic, and pedestrians stroll along a parade of shops.

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