A Syrian soldier is seen amid the ruins in the Hajar al-Aswad district, south of Damascus, Syria, on May 21, 2018, just hours after it was declared free of the Islamic State (IS) militants. For the first time in seven years, Syria's capital Damascus was declared secure and empty of any rebel presence on Monday, following the defeat of the Islamic State (IS) in their last strongholds south of the capital, an achievement that closed the last chapter of war in the Syrian capital. (Xinhua/Hummam Sheikh Ali)