As Syria's Raqa battle nears end, road to rescue lengthens "Don't close your eyes. Stay awake!" the anti-jihadist Syrian fighter yelled at his injured comrade as a Humvee whisked them across the Islamic State group's one-time stronghold Raqa. With the battle drawing closer to the city centre, the distance to the nearest medical facilities is lengthening, making its increasingly difficult to keep injured fighters and civilians alive.