Islamic State closer to defeat in last Syrian enclave
US-backed forces estimate only a few hundred jihadists remain in the Euphrates Valley
Baghouz — Islamic State appeared closer to defeat in its last enclave in eastern Syria on Wednesday, as a civilian convoy left the besieged area where US-backed forces estimate a few hundred jihadists are still holed up. Its capture will nudge the eight-year-old Syrian war towards a new phase, with US President Donald Trump having pledged to withdraw American troops, leaving a security vacuum that other powers would seek to fill. A Reuters witness near the front lines at Baghouz on the Iraqi border saw dozens of trucks leaving the village and a spokesperson for the Syrian Democratic Forces said they were bringing out civilians. Baghouz is the final scrap of ground left to Islamic State in the Euphrates Valley region that became its last major stronghold in Iraq and Syria after a series of catastrophic defeats in 2017. Its fall marks a big moment in the group’s trajectory, from winning control over vast territories in 2014 and proclaiming the creation of a caliphate to rule over Musl...
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