Raqqa (Syria) - Up to 50,000 civilians remain trapped in the Syrian extremist stronghold of Raqqa, the UN said Tuesday, warning that supplies of water and other essentials were fast running out. US-backed forces have been closing in on the last redoubt in Syria of Islamic State (ISIS) after penetrating its Old City last week, but an estimated 2,500 extremists are still defending the center. "The UN estimates that between 30,000 and 50,000 people remain trapped in Raqqa city," UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) spokesman Andrej Mahecic said in Geneva, down from some 100,000 people at the end of June. Mahecic stressed it was hard to be sure about the numbers given the lack of access to Raqqa for UN agencies. But he said: "Availability of food, water, medicine, electricity and other essentials has been dwindling, with the situation rapidly deteriorating.
