FILE - In this Thursday, July 27, 2017, a U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces fighter runs in front of a damaged building as he crosses a street on the front line, in Raqqa city, Syria. With Islamic State's near total defeat on the battle field, the extremist group has reverted to what it was before its spectacular series of conquests in 2014 _ a shadowy terror network that targets vulnerable civilian populations and exploits state weaknesses to incite on sectarian strife. But a recent surge in false claims of responsibility for attacks also signals that the group is struggling to stay relevant after losing its proto-state and its dominance of the international news agenda. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File)
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