Assault on Islamic State enclave is as good as over, says US-backed force
Syrian town of Baghouz was the last enclave held by the jihadists, who are still putting up resistance with weapons
Baghouz — Islamic State was close to defeat in its final enclave on Tuesday after ferocious bombardments overnight and the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said the offensive to capture the area is nearly over. The besieged enclave of Baghouz is the last shred of territory held by the jihadists who have been driven from about one third of Iraq and Syria over the past four years by its enemies, including a US-led international coalition. “The operation is over, or as good as over, but requires a little more time to be completed practically on the ground,” SDF spokesperson Kino Gabriel told al-Hadath TV. Islamic State was still putting up resistance with weapons including car bombs. The Baghouz enclave was targeted with barrages of rockets overnight and fires raged inside, but the bombardments ceased on Tuesday morning. The SDF has been laying siege to Baghouz for weeks but repeatedly postponed its final assault to allow the evacuation of thousands of civilians, many of them w...
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