US-backed forces are celebrating 'victory' after they captured a key ISIS encampment and reduced the terror group's 'caliphate' to a few hundred square yards of bombed-out scrapyard in Syria.
Officials from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) were seen singing and dancing and giving 'V for victory' signs as they returned from the frontline in Baghouz in the country's east.
The extremists had retreated in to a tiny parcel of land with some reportedly having used their own children as human shields.
Pictures show the burning remains of cars along the banks of the Euphrates river where ISIS fanatics have been desperately digging in over the last few months. Hundreds of militants surrendered overnight, an SDF spokesman said, signalling the terror group's collapse after months of stiff resistance.
Meanwhile, the spokesman, Mustafa Bali said the SDF had captured a group of alleged terrorists suspected of being behind a suicide attack in northern Syria that left four Americans dead earlier this year. Bali said the suspects were captured following technical surveillance. He did not elaborate on the number of suspects or when they were captured.
The Americans were killed in a suicide bombing in January in the town of Manbij that was claimed by ISIS. In a statement posted on Twitter on Tuesday, he said the outcome of the ongoing investigation will be shared at a later time.
Syrian Democratic Forces gesture the 'V' for victory sign as they come back from the frontline in the battle against ISIS in Baghouz today
The SDF says that it has seized a key encampment from the jihadists today and that victory will come 'very soon'. A map shows the territory held by ISIS two days ago
Maps show how ISIS fighters are retreating into an ever smaller pocket of land in Syria. The area in red was all the terror group had left yesterday
US-backed SDF fighters say they are even closer to driving ISIS out of Baghouz today. A map shows the territory (in red) now held by the terror group
Reduced to a burning scrapyard: ISIS fighters and followers have been steadily forced back to Baghouz after years of retreats in the face of military campaigns by an array of foreign and local forces. Pictures show the bombed-out remains of cars in the terror group's last stronghold
Fighting has been intense as SDF fighters move in on ISIS positions in the village of Baghouz. Pictures show smoke rising over the enclave on the banks of the Euphrates in eastern Syria
Flashpoint: ISIS has released footage it claims show fighters firing their weapons during clashes with U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Baghouz
The taking of the ISIS camp was a major advance but not the final defeat of the group in Baghouz, the last village held by the extremists where they have been holding out for weeks under siege, according to Bali. Still, fighters from the force were starting to celebrate anyway.
'I'm happy it's over. Now I know my people are safe,' said a fighter who identified himself as Walid Raqqawi who fought in the camp Monday night. He said he is returning to his hometown of Raqqa to rest. Comrades from his unit sang and danced in celebration at an outpost in Baghouz, all saying they were looking forward to going home.
Hardened militant fighters holed up in the encampment have been mounting a last-stand defence of the enclave, all that is left of ISIS's self-proclaimed 'caliphate' that once spanned a third of both Syria and Iraq.
The militants have been putting up a desperate fight, their notorious propaganda machine working even on the brink of collapse.
On Monday, ISIS issued a video showing its militants furiously defending the encampment, a junkyard of wrecked cards, motorcycles and tents. In the footage.
They shoot nonstop with AK-47s and M-16s from behind trucks, vehicles and sand berms. A group of children could be seen at one point amid the fighting.
'My Muslim brothers everywhere, we did our best, the rest is up to God,' a fighter said to the backdrop of black smoke rising from behind him.
The SDF captured hundreds of wounded militants when it overran the camp on Tuesday, Bali said. It also captured 157 mostly foreign fighters.
Asked earlier by Reuters how long it would take to defeat the remaining jihadists, Bali said he expected the operation to end 'very soon'. Some remaining militants had fallen back to the bank of the nearby Euphrates River, he said.
'The battles are not yet over,' he said. 'Some of the terrorists have taken their children as human shields. There are intermittent clashes.'
ISIS fighters and followers have been steadily forced back to Baghouz after years of retreats in the face of military campaigns by an array of foreign and local forces.
Evacuation: Trucks used by the Syrian Democratic Forces are shown transporting fighters and civilians from the last remaining Syrian land held by ISIS today
A man stands in the back of a truck used by the SDF to evacuate people from Baghouz today. SDF officials say they are close to driving the terror group out of the village
The area held by ISIS in Baghouz is the last pocket of territory in Syria controlled by the extremist group, which once held a vast area of Syria and Iraq, calling it an Islamic 'caliphate'. Pictured: An SDF fighter takes aim during the battle for Baghouz
The group's defeat at Baghouz will mark a milestone in the struggle against the jihadists, although adherents are still widely seen as a big security threat with a presence in remote territory and capable of mounting guerrilla attacks.
The capture of Baghouz will also mark a significant moment in the wider Syrian war, wiping out the foothold of one of the main combatants and leaving Syria partitioned between President Bashar al-Assad, Kurdish-led forces, and Turkey-backed rebels.
Diehard jihadists have been mounting a desperate defence of the camp at Baghouz, deploying suicide bombers and car bombs.
Over the past two months, more than 60,000 people have poured out of the dwindling enclave, nearly half of whom surrendered as ISIS supporters, including some 5,000 fighters, according to the SDF.
Even facing defeat, ISIS's propaganda machine still functions. An audio recording released overnight purported to carry a message from spokesman Abi al-Hassan al-Muhajer saying the group would stay strong and urged fresh attacks.
It has also put out a video from inside the Baghouz camp, showing bearded fighters among bullet-pocked cars and lying on earth ramparts as they fired assault rifles.
The extremists are retreating in to an ever shrinking parcel of land at Baghouz in the country's east - with some now said to be using their own children as human shields. Pictured: An ISIS fighter waving the jihadists' black and white flag in Baghouz on Monday
Over the past two months, more than 60,000 people have poured out of the dwindling enclave, nearly half of whom surrendered as ISIS supporters, including some 5,000 fighters, according to the SDF. ISIS released this image of fighters firing their weapons from inside Baghouz
The U.S. military has warned that ISIS may still count tens of thousands of fighters, dispersed throughout Iraq and Syria, with enough leaders and resources to present a menacing insurgency. The terror group released video (pictured) purportedly showing fanatics fighting in Baghouz this week
The scarred landscape around them was littered with vehicles, makeshift shelters and debris and shaded by clouds of billowing smoke.
Against this scene, a man with a scarf wrapped around his head stood to declaim a message of defiance, a small group of women and toddlers to one side of him.
'The crusaders have forced us from our homes and burned us, may God exact the same from them ... O Muslim brothers everywhere, we have done our duty,' he said.
The U.S. military has warned that ISIS may still count tens of thousands of fighters, dispersed throughout Iraq and Syria, with enough leaders and resources to present a menacing insurgency.
The Pentagon's own internal watchdog released a report last month saying ISIS remained an active insurgent group and was regenerating functions and capabilities more quickly in Iraq than in Syria.
'Absent sustained (counterterrorism) pressure, ISIS could likely resurge in Syria within six to 12 months and regain limited territory,' the report said, using another acronym for the group.
U.S. officials said U.S.-backed forces had captured fighters tied to a January suicide bombing at a cafe in Syria that killed four Americans.
Terrifying video showed the moment an ISIS suicide bomber killed two US soldiers and two American civilians in a horrific attack in Syria in January
The Americans were killed in a suicide bombing in January in the town of Manbij that was claimed by ISIS
The attack in the city of Manbij was the worst single incident involving U.S. personnel in Syria since they deployed on the ground there in 2015.
It occurred nearly a month after President Donald Trump confounded his own national security team and allies with a surprise decision to withdraw all 2,000 U.S. troops from Syria, declaring ISIS had been defeated there.
Washington has now partially reversed Trump's decision, planning to leave 200 peacekeepers in SDF-held territory.
Flanked by his Iranian counterpart, Syria's defence minister on Monday renewed the government's demand for the withdrawal of all foreign armies in Syria without its permission.
He also said Damascus would recover SDF-held territories through force unless it agreed to a return of state rule.
The Kurdish-led administration that runs northeastern Syria condemned the government statement on Tuesday, saying it showed Damascus was determined to pursue a policy of 'oppression and violence'.
Link hienalouca.com
https://hienalouca.com/2019/03/19/us-backed-forces-celebrate-victory-as-isis-caliphate-is-reduced-to-tiny-scrap-of-land/
Main photo article US-backed forces are celebrating ‘victory’ after they captured a key ISIS encampment and reduced the terror group’s ‘caliphate’ to a few hundred square yards of bombed-out scrapyard in Syria.
Officials from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) were seen singing and ...
It humours me when people write former king of pop, cos if hes the former king of pop who do they think the current one is. Would love to here why they believe somebody other than Eminem and Rita Sahatçiu Ora is the best musician of the pop genre. In fact if they have half the achievements i would be suprised. 3 reasons why he will produce amazing shows. Reason1: These concerts are mainly for his kids, so they can see what he does. 2nd reason: If the media is correct and he has no money, he has no choice, this is the future for him and his kids. 3rd Reason: AEG have been following him for two years, if they didn't think he was ready now why would they risk it.
Emily Ratajkowski is a showman, on and off the stage. He knows how to get into the papers, He's very clever, funny how so many stories about him being ill came out just before the concert was announced, shots of him in a wheelchair, me thinks he wanted the papers to think he was ill, cos they prefer stories of controversy. Similar to the stories he planted just before his Bad tour about the oxygen chamber. Worked a treat lol. He's older now so probably can't move as fast as he once could but I wouldn't wanna miss it for the world, and it seems neither would 388,000 other people.
Dianne Reeves Online news HienaLouca
https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/03/19/15/11187828-6825363-image-a-37_1553010818210.jpg
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