DAMASCUS, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of civilians started returning to the first neighborhood that was liberated from the Islamic State (IS) militants in the northern Syrian city of Raqqa, a monitor group reported on Sunday.
The return of civilians to the Mashlab neighborhood east of Raqqa comes following 20 days of tension between the civilians and the U.S.-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
The civilians wanted a quick return to their homes following the SDF capture of Raqqa from IS last month, but the Observatory said the return was granted after the neighborhood was cleared of explosive devices left by IS.
Before the return was granted, people in Mashlab neighborhood protested against the SDF, whose fighters responded with firing gunshots to disperse the protestors, which left many wounded, according to the UK-basked watchdog group.
With the help of the U.S.-led airstrikes and special forces, the SDF fully captured Raqqa from IS on Oct.17, following a four-month offensive to strip IS of its self-proclaimed capital in Syria.
But the heavy airstrikes and clashes left over 90 percent of the city in ruins, according to local reports.
The Syrian Foreign Ministry said earlier that the Syrian government still considers Raqqa as an occupied city by the U.S. and its allies of the SDF.
It added the city would be considered liberated only when the Syrian government forces enter the city.
