US-backed Syrian forces said the "Islamic State" would be defeated "very soon" after the they captured a camp in Baghouz, the militants' last populated territory in Syria. But they warned "the battles are not yet over."
Image: Reuters/Stringer
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The US-backed Syrian Defense Forces (SDF) said they took a camp in Baghouz on Tuesday, where "Islamic State" (IS) militants had been besieged for months, bringing them close to capturing the last remaining IS territory.
SDF spokesman Mustafa Bali announced the milestone on Twitter but warned it "is not a victory announcement, but a significant progress in the fight," adding he expected the remaining IS fighters to be defeated "very soon."
SDF forcesImage: Getty Images/AFP/G. Cacace
"The battles are not yet over. There are still some pockets next to the river," he posted, stressing that battles had been "fierce."
"On some fronts there are tit-for-tat attacks, on other fronts there are some advances," Bali said. He said hundreds of wounded and sick militants had been captured and sent to nearby military hospitals.
The camp was the largest area still held by Islamic State in the small town. Baghouz itself is the last populated territory the group controls, after seizing vast areas of Syria and Iraq and calling it an Islamic "caliphate," making its major gains in 2014.
If Baghouz falls, IS will no longer control any populated territory, although some of its fighters have held out in the central Syrian desert and others have disappeared into Iraq to stage shootings and kidnappings.
Earlier on Monday the SDF said it caught 157 mostly foreign fighters trying to escape the siege.
The battle for the besieged town, including the encampment, has dragged on for weeks as militants dug in using foxholes and underground tunnels and deploying car bombs.
Image: Reuters/I. Abdallah
Over the past two months between 30,000 and 60,000 people streamed out of previously unknown tunnels and caves under the enclave, taking SDF forces by surprise. People who left said conditions inside were dire, with some forced to eat grass for lack of food.
According to Reuters, which quoted a figure of 60,000, around half of them were surrendering IS supporters, with 5,000 of them fighters.
SDF commanders say they do not know how many more may still be left hiding underground, making it difficult to predict when fighting could end.
ta/msh (AP, dpa, Reuters)
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
