But in june, troops from the northern kurdish territories began liberating the city, gradually putting an end to the terror, arbitrary executions and repression. Hundreds of thousands of people in Northern Syria have been forced to flee. The fight to liberate raqqa could be over soon partly as a result of u. S. Military support but its been left devastated. Reporter you could say this man actually got off lightly. He survived a booby trap left behind by retreating i. S. Troops. German trauma surgeon michael wilk treats the wounded. Hes set up an operating room in a kitchen in an Apartment Building close to the front. Michael this was clearly caused by an exploding mine. The man was hit by many small pieces of shrapnel in the lower body, and has several larger wounds on his shoulder and head. But if you consider that he set off a mine, hes actually doing well. Reporter after receiving first aid, the wounded man is evacuated. The trip to the nearest medical facility will take over two hours on heavily damaged roads. There are no functioning hospitals closer to the front. The fight against i. S. Has left a trail of death and destruction. The thousands of munitions fired by the u. S. Led coalition and the i. S. Car bombs and mortar attacks have turned raqqa into a wasteland. Wilk has returned to Northern Syria again and again, supporting his colleagues from the kurdish red crescent. The battle for raqqa is in its final stages, but danger is a constant presence. I. S. Fighters have been driven out, but theyve mined the city extensively. Sherwan before some days we found a family six people all of them were injured. Two died, and some of them lost legs and part of their bodies but usually the legs. Reporter a new offensive against i. S. Will soon kick off from here, in the northern suburbs of raqqa. Wilk and his kurdish colleagues are looking for a safe place to bring the inevitable casualties. The doctor complains that no one thinks about the People Killed and wounded in the fighting. Michael what bothers me most is that the kurds who are expected to blast i. S. Out of here are sticking out their necks for outside interests. For example, in the interests of the u. S. But far too little is done for the civilians left holding the bag, and too little is done for the fighters themselves. You could say these people are being used. Reporter this kurdish fighter signals us to stay under cover. I. S. Snipers are still hidden in the ruins of the jihadist groups selfdeclared capital. Theyre feared by the Syrian Democratic forces the sdf. Many of the armed fighters here are young, still in their teens. The sdf is a group of individual arab and kurdish allied militias trained by american forces. Theyve paid a high price in the war against i. S. A pickup truck brings more wounded. During an advance, they fell victim to another i. S. Booby trap. This medic is a volunteer from sweden. Like many other volunteers, he goes by a kurdish pseudonym he doesnt want to reveal his real name. In one crucial aspect, the fighting here is different than it was in the iraqi city of mosul earlier this year there seem to be no civilians left in raqqa. In three days of shooting at the front, we dont see a single one. Reports said Coalition Airstrikes killed more than 400 people here in august alone, but that hasnt been confirmed. Ciya no, thats not true. I can only say that if there were that many casualties, there would be a huge amount of bodies being pulled out. And since weve moved together with the kurds, with the ypg, we have seen absolutely no dead civilians. Reporter well likely never know the real story. There are many volunteers in the sdf. A fighter calling herself dilan cudi comes from canada. The young woman has been battling i. S. Alongside the kurds for two years now. Dilan we dont want to wait until they come to our countries. And we come and join the ypg because theyre already in this struggle, and theyve been in this struggle for countless years. Theyve asked the International Community to come and help. So because of this we are now coming to their aid. Reporter as we leave raqqa, the streets everywhere are full of civilians fleeing the conflict these come from deir ezzor. Wilk is heading to a refugee camp near the city. As the battle for raqqa wraps up, the fighting has moved here. Some days, 1000 people arrive at the camp looking for food, safety and shelter. Almost all are arabs, not kurds. Theyre just trying to get out of the conflict zone away from i. S. And its fighters, who use local women and children as human shields, and force the men to fight at the front. The kurdish red crescent runs one of the camps two mobile clinics. Michael wilk is not just a doctor hes also an activist. He doesnt reject ideas expressed by the pkks militant leader Abdullah Ocalan that have a major influence on kurdish selfgovernment in the region. Without the kurds, says wilk, the arab refugees here would be in serious trouble. Michael yesterday i was in a newly built hospital building. I saw it before back in february. Itll open soon. I. S. Bombs things to bits, then the kurds build them back up again. Thats what gives you hope. And in their model, men and women have equal rights, which is something you dont find anywhere else in this region. In other words, theres a glimmer of hope in the midst of disaster. Reporter hope . Well, maybe in a limited sense. But not hope for an end to the war in syria. This man and his family just managed to escape the fighting. He thinks i. S. Will be driven from both raqqa and deir ezzor. But he doesnt expect things to get much better. Abu therell just be new fights between the free syrian army, the sdf or the regime. Everyone wants the country for themselves. No one wants to compromise. We wont have peace for a long time to come. Reporter the socalled caliphate proclaimed by i. S. Is crumbling, and will soon fall. But for the people of the region, peace and security are still a very distant dream. Host since the civil war began in neighboring syria, turkey has taken in around three million refugees an impressive humanitarian achievement. And yet, turkeys own political system is becoming increasingly autocratic. Since the attempted coup against president erdogan on 15th july, 2016, more than 50,000 people have been arrested and more than 150,000 have been forced out of their jobs. More than 130 newspapers, publishers, and broadcasters have been shut down, as have more than 1000 nongovernmental organizations. Fear hangs heavy over the countrys arts scene, too, bringing its own consequences. Reporter here in the beyoglu district of istanbul, its Opening Night for a new exhibition at the mars gallery. Pinar ogrenci is nervous, because in addition to being the gallery owner, she will be presenting her own art alongside that of three other artists. Her video installations address the subject of war and expulsion. Pinar its not just people who migrate. Their songs and instruments move with them, as ive shown in my film. Its about a whole culture looking for a new place to settle. Reporter pinar is originally from the other side of the country from the town of van near the iraqi border and studied architecture. Over the years, the art she produced tended to focus on urban transformation. But more recently she has turned her attention to war and migration the latter, something many artists in turkey can relate to. Pinar the growing violence and pressure in society have inevitably had an impact on us artists. In the last two years, and especially in the last six months, that pressure has prompted a lot of artists to leave. And not just artists, but also curators, authors, musicians, and other colleagues from the arts scene. Reporter a lot of those artists have come to izmir on the west coast the third biggest city in turkey, and considered the secular stronghold in the country. Since the 1970s, izmir has been run by politicians from leftwing nonreligious parties. And over the past year or so, izmir has seen its reputation as a refuge for artists and intellectuals grow. Musician Sevket Uyanik came here from istanbul six months ago. He finds life and the people here far more relaxed. Sevket also works as a Communications Expert for the turkish pirate party. He says censorship has increased considerably since the state of emergency was declared in july, 2016. Sevket a range of theaters and Cultural Centers have been closed down. Film festivals have been cancelled, and theres been a major clampdown on art examining the situation in the east of the country. Censorship is really bad, but selfcensorship is worse. It used to be parents telling their kids what they could or couldnt say. Now weve started to do it by ourselves. And thats dangerous. Reporter sevket takes us out to meet some friends at a cafe. Kazim is a documentary filmmaker. Mehmet is an actor. Both men have recently experienced censorship at first hand. Mehmets theater was shut down by decree of the authorities, with no recourse to the courts. Mehmet initially, they said it was a temporary closure, for 20 days. But the theater remained shut, and were still waiting for answers to the question of why. Theres a lot of intimidation at the moment. As an artist you wonder, what did i do . I did nothing wrong. Its plain unjust. Reporter kazim was arrested in april, while filming protests against the controversial referendum that would give president erdogan new powers. Once in police custody, he was suddenly charged with insulting the president a criminal offence. After three months in detention, he was released but will soon have to stand trial. Kazim in a country where the rule of law applies, youd expect me to be acquitted. But were living in a time where you cant predict anything especially not when the courts are involved. Reporter despite the problems, leaving turkey is not really an option for most of the artists. Mehmet i dont want to go abroad. We love our country and want to stay here. I only want to go to germany if its part of a theater tour. Kazim the work i want to do is connected to this country. Although if conditions get even tougher, i might have to think about emigrating. Reporter back in istanbul, we accompany pinar to the istanbul biennial a twomonth showcase for over 50 contemporary artists from turkey and abroad. This years event faced international criticism. The organizers and the motto a Good Neighbor were accused of being too timid and apolitical. Pinar sees things differently. Shes just happy that the biennial is taking place at all. Pinar one of the biggest problems we have at the moment is that foreigners no longer want to come to istanbul. That includes people from the art scene, who we used to work with a lot. And them staying away has left a hole. So were really looking forward to seeing our friends from abroad at the biennial. Reporter its at times when art is under pressure, says pinar, that its role becomes all the more important. Pinar we know were going through difficult times at the moment and that our scope for movement is limited. But we will continue to try and keep istanbuls Cultural Landscape alive, by doing all we can. Host whats your opinion . Will there ever be peace and democracy in the islamic world . We have more about human rights and freedom of speech on our Facebook Page dw global society. Write to us, and dont forget to follow us, too. This week, our reporters went on the hunt again for tasty snacks, and struck gold in sweden. Reporter stockholm is built on water. Theres certainly no shortage of fish here herring, in particular. And its not just the seagulls which find them tasty. For 30 years now, the ahmed family has been running a fast food stall here. Though they have north african roots, they serve up typical swedish food. Ahmed here in sweden, our smashed potatoes are always homemade and always fresh doing it in the morning. Reporter first, the herring is fried until its goldenbrown. Ahmed herring is a traditional swedish meal, that they always like to eat, you know . Reporter nail ahmed only dishes them up when theyre really crispy. The snack is then garnished with parsley, and pickled cucumber, red onions, and homemade coleslaw. Theres crisp bread to go with it another very swedish specialty. Ahmed ever since i was a child, ive been here. I love this taste. I really didnt like fish at the beginning. But when i tried this one, i loved it. I fell in love with this place and i decided to work and gain my expertise and my experience in this place until i got the place from my father. Reporter and business is brisk. Thanks also to his stands central location, nail sells over 1000 meals on sunny summer days. And for sweden, its also very reasonably priced. Just 75 swedish krona, or just under eight euros. Over the years, the stand has built up a regular clientele. Many here appreciate the stands local food. They are open all week all year long, but i really prefer to eat it when it is a little bit warmer outside. So, on a summer afternoon. Thats a good time. Ahmed until today i have many customers that come to me and say, i had eating this plate 20 years ago and this still taste the same and the same concept, because we dont change our recipe. It has been the same recipes for over two, three decades and its still ongoing and we are not trying to change anything like this. Host suriname is south americas smallest nation. And its 90 rainforest, too unlike any other country on the planet. But deforestation is on the rise, and sloths in particular are at risk. Our reporter Bettina Thoma met a woman dedicating her life to protecting these enigmatic treedwellers. Reporter were heading for a sloth sanctuary. Its the only one in suriname for these unusual mammals. Isa and her fellow sloths are being tended by a team of conservationists. The youngest resident is just 18 months old. The manager of the sanctuary is monique pool. Another emergency call. Its the third just this week. The caller has found a sloth in her garden, and shes hoping someone can help her fast. Monique people know that they can call somewhere. Normally theyd call the zoo, previously, but then the zoo didnt take the animals, and neither did the Animal Protection society, but we do, so we go and pick up the animals. Reporter the capital, paramaribo, is an hours drive away. Its also the tiny south american countrys only major city. Monique is so attached to sloths that she decided to give up her profession as a translator. Its a job with a lot of variety. She never knows quite what to expect. She started working with the animals 12 years ago and has gained a lot of experience over the years. Monique ok. Ok. Hes very aggressive. Extremely aggressive. Im not used to this. Reporter the man suspects that neighbors had been keeping the threetoed sloth as a pet. Normally, the creatures are very peaceful. They only hit or scratch when theyre frightened. Time for the next rescue operation. This time the animal is a lot more easygoing. Monique sees each visit as an opportunity to educate people. Monique people now know that theyre a protected species and they want to help to protect them. Sometimes people are so helpful that they take them off the road and bring them to us, while they could have put them in the forest. Reporter increasingly, the activist finds herself collecting confused or injured animals who have strayed into the city. One of the biggest problems is forest clearance. This used to be a rainforest. Now there are plans to build new Housing Estates here covering several hundred square kilometers. And thats just one construction project among many. The capital is expanding, destroying the sloths natural habitats. In the sanctuary, the animals are immediately tended to by volunteers. The project is financed entirely from donations. The team sets off in the Early Morning to collect leaves while theyre still crisp and fresh. Leaves and buds are the sloths food of choice. And they appear to be very partial to cecropia leaves. Monique these leaves are something the sloths like a lot. Its from a pioneer tree, so wherever land is disturbed or forest is disturbed, they come up first and they grow very fast. And they have a very high protein content, not only the leaves but also the fruits, as well. Reporter feeding sloths is an art in its own right. The animals have a very delicate digestive system. The volunteers have to know exactly how much feed to give each one. Otherwise, they can get sick. The really young ones get easily digestible goats milk. Sloths need a lot of time to digest their meals. Their extremely slow metabolism is also the reason why the creature moves at such a languid pace. Monique is worried about christine and has sent for the vet. Her claws were cut when she was in captivity, and she seems very apathetic. The animals cant hold on to anything without claws or scratch themselves part of their daily ritual. Cleopatra we should be very careful with what to treat and how to treat them with. For example with antibiotics, we cant give that too regularly because it could be harmful for them, instead of helping them. Reporter the sloth remains a mystery in many ways even for scientists. Isa has been living with monique since her birth. The animal has become so used to her that its no longer possible to set her free in the wild. Monique they are very special animals. They are quite amazing. They are very laid back, as you can see. They are very intelligent, and they are curious. You see, shes interacting also with us. They are just amazing to watch. Theyre relaxed. Maybe they are a lot of things im not. So thats also why i am fascinated by them. Reporter monique doesnt get much time to relax. The healthy animals have to be returned to the wild as quickly as possible. The rainforest starts right behind the sanctuary. The animals feel safe there. For monique, this is always a very special moment. Monique its always the best part of the whole process. You know, getting them from a garden and then letting them go. Its just fantastic. This is where they belong. You can see the way shes climbing, looking around. Reporter the teams dedication has paid off. This sloth will find a new home in the treetops and could live to be at least 20 years old. Host thats all from global 3000 this week. Thanks for coming along with us. Take care, and see you soon. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org] [female voice over] this program is made possible in part by the town of marion, home of the Wayne Henderson school of appalachian arts, celebrating 21 years as a certified virginia main street community. The historic General Francis Marion Hotel and the speak easy restaurant and lounge, providing accommodations and casual fine dining in downtown marion, virginia. The bank of marion. Technology powered, service driven. Wbrf 98. 1 fm. And bryant label, a proud supporter of our regions musical heritage. cherokee shuffle by gerald anderson