Civilians in final Islamic State enclave slow attacks by Syrian fighters
Islamic State set to remain a deadly threat despite facing defeat
Deir al-Zor Province, Syria — US-backed fighters have slowed an offensive to take Islamic State’s last enclave in eastern Syria because a small number of civilians remain there, though fierce fighting continues, they said on Monday. Islamic State faces defeat in the last shred of its main territory in Syria and Iraq where it announced a “caliphate” in 2014, suffering years of steady retreat after arousing global fury through grotesque displays of cruelty. Despite the setbacks, the group remains a deadly threat, developing alternatives to its caliphate ranging from rural insurgency to urban bombings by affiliates in the region and beyond, many governments say.
The Syrian Democratic Forces this weekend resumed its assault on the group’s pocket in the village of Baghouz, the culmination of a campaign that included the capture of Raqqa in 2017, when Islamic State also faced big defeats in Iraq and Syria. The militia had already paused its attack for weeks to allow thousands of peo...
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