Isis fighters ‘taking their last breath’

From a self-proclaimed caliphate that once spread across much of Syria and Iraq, Isis (Islamic State) has been knocked back to a speck of land on the countries’ shared border.

In that tiny patch on the banks of the Euphrates River, hundreds of militants are hiding among civilians under the shadow of a small hill — encircled by forces waiting to declare the territorial defeat of the extremist group.

A spokesman for the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces fighting the militants said that the group is preventing civilians from leaving the area, closing a corridor from which nearly 40,000 residents have managed to escape since December.

“They are taking their last breath,” said Dino, an SDF fighter deployed at a base near the front line in the village of Baghouz, about 2km from the militants’ last spot.

An AP team visited the base, escorted by the SDF, driving past rural houses that were destroyed, a reminder of the cost of the battle. Occasional airstrikes and artillery rounds by the US-led coalition supporting the SDF, meant to clear land mines for the advance, could be seen in the distance.

The road to the base passes through a number of villages and towns from which Isis were uprooted in recent weeks. In Hajin, a major centre for the militants that fell to the SDF in December, some residents have begun to return but the town remains battered by the fighting and airstrikes.

For weeks, the militants fought desperately for their shrinking territory. They were once in control of about a third of Syria and Iraq.

Experts and US defence officials warn that Isis still poses a major threat and could regroup within six months if pressure is not kept up.

The SDF is holding 900 foreign fighters in lockups and camps in northern Syria, and their fate is a major concern, particularly as US troops prepare to withdraw from Syria. In a tweet, US President Donald Trump called on European countries to take back their militants and put them on trial at home.

“The Caliphate is ready to fall,” Trump said. He suggested the alternative would be that the US would be forced to release them. “We do so much, and spend so much — Time for others to step up and do the job that they are so capable of doing. We are pulling back after 100% Caliphate victory!”