A Syrian national flag and Syrian soldiers in the background are seen at a checkpoint of the Syrian army in the town of Shuaib al-Thikr in the countryside of Raqqa province, Syria, Dec. 23, 2017. The Syrian army and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces fought the Islamic State separately in Raqqa province this year, driving out IS from its main stronghold in Syria. (Xinhua/Ammar Safarjalani)