Year after IS lost Syria's Raqa, holdout hospital awaits recovery

Shattered ultrasound machines and prosthetic limbs litter the hallways of Raqa's main hospital, still gutted a year after the Islamic State group made its infamous last stand in its Syrian heartland.

The bullet-riddled complex looms large among the sea of destroyed buildings in the northern city, once the de facto Syrian capital of IS's ill-fated "caliphate".

On October 17 last year, US-backed forces overran the city's final two jihadist holdouts -- the National Hospital and nearby stadium -- sealing the end of IS's bloody three-year reign over Raqa.

But a year later, as other parts of the city are being slowly rebuilt, the massive hospital remains in ruins, almost haunted.

The road leading up to the entrance has been cleared of the burned corpses lying there last October, but twisted car wrecks still make for an uncomfortable welcome.

Torn-up gurneys, filthy sky-blue hospital sheets and rusted gas canisters have been dumped in the courtyard.

Bullet-riddled doors are graffitied with the phrase "CLEAR, November 9, 2017", apparently marking the day those rooms were checked for mines or lingering jihadists.

Inside, hospital rooms are charred black from fires after air strikes. Paint is peeling off the ceiling and the walls are lined with sand bags piled by