talk to your doctor about xarelto®. there's more to know. welcome back to "cnn newsroom." i'm george howell. u.s.-backed fighters in syria are celebrating a major victory over isis. ♪ that's the scene there in raqqah syria, on friday, as the city was declared totally liberated. syrian democratic forces danced at the stadium where isis fighters made their last stand just a few days ago. raqqah was the de facto isis capital for more than three years. the terror group isn't finished in iraq and syria, but its grip is crumbling. take a look at the map. it shows the territory held back in 2014 compared to what it now holds. >> the battle for raqqah was raged for many months.