ISIL took complete control of Raqqa by 13 January 2014 . ISIL proceeded to execute Alawites and suspected supporters of Bashar al-Assad in the city and destroyed the city 's Shia mosques and Christian churches such as the Armenian Catholic Church of the Martyrs , which was then converted into an ISIL police headquarters and an Islamic centre , tasked to recruit new fighters . The Christian population of Raqqa , which had been estimated to be as much as 10 % of the total population before the civil war began , largely fled the city . On 15 November 2015 , France , in response to attacks in Paris two days earlier , dropped about 20 bombs on multiple ISIL targets in Raqqa
attacks in Paris
November 2015 Paris attacks
Raqqa