The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces have said 32 jihadis were killed in the latest clashes in eastern Syria. Die-hard IS fighters have resorted to suicide bombings in a last-ditch attempt to avoid total defeat.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/G. Cacace
Advertisement
Almost 1,300 "Islamic State" (IS) fighters and their families have surrendered from their last Syrian holdout of Baghouz over the previous past 24 hours, the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces said on Saturday.
In a statement on its website, the SDF said the mass surrender was prompted by its forces launching fresh attacks against the last remaining jihadis, described as the most-hardened foreign IS militants.
About 32 IS fighters, including at least four senior figures, were killed in battle, a separate statement from the Kurdish-led group said.
SDF spokesman Adnan Afrin later told the Agence France-Presse news agency that further clashes broke out on Friday night and continued into Saturday.
"There have so far been no surrenders (today) and there's no sign they are giving up."
Weeklong onslaught
The SDF launched a final battle last Sunday for the tiny eastern Syrian village, the last remaining sliver of land that IS once called its "caliphate."
But the militant group's most die-hard fighters have launched a wave of suicide attacks to hinder the SDF's advance.
In the latest on Friday, three suicide bombers killed six people leaving Baghouz in simultaneous blasts.
The US-led coalition said the bombers were dressed in women's clothing and had mixed with others surrendering.
"Daesh has proven to demonstrate a reckless disregard for human life and continues to be a global threat," the coalition said on Twitter, using an Arabic acronym for IS.
After leaving Baghouz, some 3,000 people have reached the al-Hol tent settlement in northeastern Syria over the previous two days, the International Rescue Committee said in a statement on Saturday.
The new arrivals consisted of almost all women and children, bringing the population to more than 69,000 at a camp designed for just 20,000 people.
Syria: IS family members
02:04
This browser does not support the video element.
The UN said most of the new arrivals "show clear signs of distress, fatigue, malnutrition."
Other than fighters and their families, those fleeing Baghouz People include other IS supporters, the group's captives and civilians caught up in the conflict.
In 2014, IS took advantage of conflict and turmoil in Syria and Iraq, capturing large swathes of both countries' territory and declaring a worldwide caliphate.
A coalition of dozens of countries have intervened over the ensuing four years to defeat IS, and the militant group's last main territory has been gradually reduced to just Baghouz, which sits close to the Iraq border.
IS does, however, retain a presence in Syria's vast Badia desert and has sleeper cells in the northeast.
Who's fighting in the Syria conflict?
Syria's civil war erupted out of the Arab Spring protests that swept much of the Middle East and North Africa in 2011. The conflict has since drawn in multiple warring factions from around the world.
Image: Atta Kenare/AFP/Getty Images
War with no end
Syria has been engulfed in a devastating civil war since 2011 after Syrian President Bashar Assad lost control over large parts of the country to multiple revolutionary groups. The conflict has since drawn in foreign powers and brought misery and death to Syrians.
Image: picture alliance/abaca/A. Al-Bushy
The dictator
Syria's army, officially known as the Syrian Arab Army (SAA), is loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and is fighting to restore the president's rule over the entire country. The SAA has been fighting alongside a number of pro-Assad militias such as the National Defense Force and has cooperated with military advisors from Russia and Iran, which back Assad.
Turkey, which is also part of the US-led coalition against IS, has actively supported rebels opposed to Assad. It has a tense relationship with its American allies over US cooperation with Kurdish fighters, who Ankara says are linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) fighting in Turkey. Turkey has launched multiple military offensives targeting Kurdish militias.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/L. Pitarakis
The eastern guardian
The Kremlin has proven to be a powerful friend to Assad. Russian air power and ground troops officially joined the fight in September 2015 after years of supplying the Syrian army. Moscow has come under fire from the international community for the high number of civilian casualties during its airstrikes. However, Russia's intervention turned the tide in war in favor of Assad.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Tass/M. Metzel
The western allies
A US-led coalition of more than 50 countries, including Germany, began targeting IS and other terrorist targets with airstrikes in late 2014. The anti-IS coalition has dealt major setbacks to the militant group. The US has more than a thousand special forces in the country backing the Syrian Democratic Forces.
Image: picture alliance/AP Photo/A.Brandon
The rebels
The Free Syrian Army grew out of protests against the Assad regime that eventually turned violent. Along with other non-jihadist rebel groups, it seeks the ouster of President Assad and democratic elections. After suffering a number of defeats, many of its members defected to hardline militant groups. It garnered some support from the US and Turkey, but its strength has been greatly diminished.
Image: Reuters
The resistance
Fighting between Syrian Kurds and Islamists has become its own conflict. The US-led coalition against the "Islamic State" has backed the Syrian Democratic Forces, an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias. The Kurdish YPG militia is the main component of the SDF. The Kurds have had a tacit understanding with Assad.
Image: Getty Images/A. Sik
The new jihadists
"Islamic State" (IS) took advantage of regional chaos to capture vast swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria in 2014. Seeking to establish its own "caliphate," IS has become infamous for its fundamentalist brand of Islam and its mass atrocities. IS is on the brink of defeat after the US and Russia led separate military campaigns against the militant group.
Image: picture alliance/AP Photo
The old jihadists
IS is not the only terrorist group that has ravaged Syria. A number of jihadist militant groups are fighting in the conflict, warring against various rebel factions and the Assad regime. One of the main jihadist factions is Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, which controls most of Idlib province and has ties with al-Qaeda.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/Nusra Front on Twitter
The Persian shadow
Iran has supported Syria, its only Arab ally, for decades. Eager to maintain its ally, Tehran has provided Damascus with strategic assistance, military training and ground troops when the conflict emerged in 2011. The Iran-backed Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah also supports the Assad regime, fighting alongside Iranian forces and paramilitary groups in the country.
