Fighters of the Islamic State are using drugs to keep them alert in the fight for the Syrian city of Raqqa, U.S.-led Coalition spokesman Col. Ryan Dillon said on Wednesday.
Mr. Dillon said ISIS fighters captured by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Raqqa in the past few days were malnourished, emaciated and showed signs of amphetamine use.
“The fact that they are using some sort of drugs to keep them alert and to keep them going is some telling signs of their desperation and where they are right now within Raqqa,” he said in a briefing, noting that amphetamine is used to maintain the “murderous fervor.”
The spokesman noted that some 2,500 ISIS fighters still remain in Raqqa. They have been using improvised explosive devices and tunnels they dug throughout the city to attack the SDF and non-combatants trying to flee homes.
“In the last two days, ISIS mounted a planned counter-attack through these tunnels which the SDF managed to repulse,” Mr. Dillon said.
Up to date, about 55 percent of Raqqa has been liberated, according to the coalition.