Islamic State totally eliminated in Syria, say Syrian Democratic Forces

[MenInG]

US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces say they have "totally eliminated" Islamic State in Syria.

The SDF made the announcement as it declared the battle against the insurgents in the final IS stronghold of Baghouz in the east of the country was over.

It has been battling the last IS remnants in the border town near Iraq for weeks as the jihadists have been using civilians as human shields.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces have now claimed "all territory in Syria is now clear of IS fighters".

SDF spokesman Mustafa Bali tweeted: "Syrian Democratic Forces declare total elimination of so-called caliphate and 100% territorial defeat of ISIS.


"On this unique day, we commemorate thousands of martyrs whose efforts made the victory possible." #SDFDefeatedISIS.

Thousands of civilians, including families of IS fighters, have been fleeing Baghouz in recent weeks amid intense fighting, and are now being held in camps.

At its height, the militant group's caliphate, which it declared in 2014, stretched across a third of Syria and Iraq.

However, despite the SDF's victory, IS insurgents still remain a threat.

Some are hiding out in Syria's remote central desert, and in Iraqi cities they have gone underground, carrying out shootings and kidnappings.

Sky's Dominic Waghorn says IS will go back to waging the insurgency it already has so much experience of

The US believes the group's leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, who declared the caliphate five years ago in Mosul, is in Iraq.

On Friday, President Donald Trump said IS insurgents no longer controlled any territory in Syria, though the US was still launching airstrikes and sporadic fighting continued on the ground.

"It's about time," Mr Trump told reporters, as he held up maps indicating the large territory once held by IS had shrunk to nothing.

"Here's ISIS on election day," he said, pointing to a swathe of red showing the areas the insurgent group controlled when he became president.

He then pointed to a version without any red, and said "here's ISIS right now", as he linked SDF gains to his time in power.

https://news.sky.com/story/complete-fall-of-islamic-state-in-syria-syrian-democratic-forces-11673094

 

[MenInG]

The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces say the Islamic State group has lost its last bit of territory in Syria, bringing to an end its "caliphate".

A spokesman for the SDF declared the "100% territorial defeat" of IS.

The jihadist group once controlled 88,000 sq km (34,000 sq miles) of land stretching across Syria and Iraq.

Despite the loss of territory, the group is still seen as a major security threat capable of mounting attacks in the region and worldwide.

The Kurdish-led SDF alliance began its final assault on IS at the start of March, with the remaining militants holed up in the village of Baghuz in eastern Syria.

The alliance was forced to slow its offensive after it emerged that a large number of civilians were also there, sheltering in buildings, tents and tunnels.

"Syrian Democratic Forces declare total elimination of so-called caliphate and 100% territorial defeat of Isis [the IS group]," Mr Bali, the head of the SDF media office, tweeted.

"On this unique day, we commemorate thousands of martyrs whose efforts made the victory possible."

SDF fighters have been raising yellow flags in Baghuz to celebrate their victory.


But despite the fall of Baghuz, IS is by no means defeated. US officials believe IS may have 15,000 to 20,000 armed adherents active in the region, many of them in sleeper cells, and that it will return to its insurgent roots while attempting to rebuild.

Even as its defeat in Baghuz was imminent, IS released a defiant audio recording purportedly from its spokesman Abu Hassan al-Muhajir, asserting that the caliphate was not finished.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-47678157