Rubble and charred cars in former Syria jihadist hub

HAJIN, Syria: Burnt- out cars, craters and collapsed buildings dot the side of a road in the Syrian village of Hajin, after US-backed forces expelled the Islamic State group.

The sound of mortar fire and flying bullets resounded inside Hajin, as huge clouds of grey smoke billowed over the outskirts of the large village in eastern Syria.

The yellow flag of the Syrian Democratic Forces flew above one building, after the Kurdishled fighters seized the village from IS jihadists.

“Hajin has come under the control of our forces,” SDF commander Zanar Awaz said.

“We are now fighting on the outskirts of Hajin and we are preparing to enter nearby villages. We will finish off this terrorist group,” he said in Kurdish, a shot of white in his short black hair.

Hajin lies on the east bank of the Euphrates in the eastern province of Deir Ezzor, about 30km from the border with Iraq.

The village’s capture marks a milestone in a massive and costly operation backed by a US-led coalition to expel IS from eastern Syria.

Armoured vehicles brought in SDF fighters to reinforce the front lines outside Hajin, as coalition planes and helicopters flew overhead. An SDF fighter sitting on the top of a vehicle with fellow combattants flashed a victory sign.

The Kurdish-led SDF launched an offensive in September to expel IS from a pocket including its main village Hajin, but their advance has been fraught with obstacles.

“We’ve been facing a lot of difficulties: IS car bombs, suicide attackers. Most of them are foreign,” Awaz said.

On Saturday morning, IS launched a counterattack, but the SDF said it succeeded in repelling them with the backing of coalition air strikes.

Since the start of the operation on Sept 10, at least 930 jihadists and more than 540 SDF fighters have been killed, the Britain- based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said.

In addition, more than 320 civilians have lost their lives, many in coalition air strikes, according to the Observatory. The coalition has however repeatedly denied targeting civilians. — AFP