The final showdown
Defeat looms as IS prepare for last stand in tiny Syria holdout
ISLAMIC State was on the brink of defeat last night as the last few families were being evacuated from its final pocket of territory. Hundreds of civilians, jihadi wives and their children were moved from the village of Baghouz in eastern Syria to safety – signalling the end of a stand- off which had lasted more than a week.
It was earlier claimed that the group’s murderous caliphate had fallen, but this was disputed by the US-led coalition which said the ‘ most hardened’ fighters remained. Around 300 die-hard jihadists are believed to be making their last stand on a tiny patch of land – under 0.2 square miles – on the banks of the Euphrates river near the Iraqi border.
At the height of Islamic State’s power in 2014, the group had control of territory the size of the UK across Syria and Iraq. UK intelligence agencies believe British jihadists and their wives are among those defending the territory to the death. Many of those left are understood to be seriously injured.
Several female fanatics from the UK, including Shamima Begum, from London, fled the caliphate as it faced destruction in recent weeks. At least 17 trucks emerged from Baghouz yesterday through a corridor organised for humanitarian relief. Mustafa Bali, of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) – a UK and US-backed militia fighting IS in Syria – confirmed the trucks were carrying out civilians. Some also contained captured IS fighters, who were held under armed guard.
The SDF is now poised to storm the jihadist holdout and put an end to the group’s medieval rule.
Women, children and men could be seen sitting in the trucks.
Kurdish commander Adnan Afrin told the Mail last night: ‘There are still some civilians inside. We cannot advance against this small territory until they safe.’ Earlier, Mr Bali described how forces were able to evacuate the first batch after ‘many days of trying’.
The SDF has slowed its military advance in recent days to protect civilians. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war monitoring organisation, said a deal appeared to have been reached with the jihadists. Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said: ‘There have been negotiations for the surrender of the last IS fighters. There are reports of a deal, but we don’t know the details yet.’
The US-led coalition said in a statement: ‘We are aware of open source reports of IS fighters reportedly surrendering.
‘We cannot independently verify these reports. However, the SDF continue to receive civilians attempting to escape to safety and the most hardened IS fighters still remain in Baghouz.’
On Tuesday, the SDF said several IS fighters and dozens of civilians handed themselves over to the Kurdish-led force. A spokesman said a convoy of trucks had entered Baghouz to transfer jihadists and relatives to SDF-held territory.
The spokesman said foreigners were among those who left the pocket of land, but did not say where they were from or if they were civilians. The United Nations on Tuesday said around 200 families, including women and children, were trapped. SDF commander Zana Amedi said most of the militants remaining inside the enclave were seriously wounded or sick.
IS once controlled vast swathes of territory stretching from western Syria to eastern Iraq.
It imposed its rule on almost eight million people and generated billions of pounds from oil, extortion, robbery and kidnapping.
Up to 40,000 foreign fighters from more than 80 countries are thought to have joined its ranks – including an estimated 850 from the UK.
IS was created in 2006 as the Islamic State of Iraq. It expanded into Syria in 2013 and captured key areas including the city of Raqqa.
However, the group’s power began to wane in 2015 after the US launched a campaign of air strikes.
‘Most hardened fighters remain’