Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Hundreds flee Syrian town; fighters remain
BAGHOUZ, Syria — Hundreds of people including fighters from the Islamic State group evacuated their last foothold in eastern Syria on Monday hours after U.S.backed Syrian fighters said they were forced to slow their advance because the extremists are using civilians as human shields.
But despite this hindrance, spokesman for the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces Mustafa Bali tweeted that the battle to retake Baghouz, the last territory in Syria held by the Islamic State group, was “going to be over soon.”
Later Monday, a Syrian Democratic Forces official said some 500 people, including fighters, had surrendered and evacuated the village of Baghouz and its surrounding areas. Ciyager, the nom de guerre of an official with the Kurdish-led organization, added that 200 more people were expected to evacuate Baghouz later Monday.
Dozens of men, women and children climbed hills on foot and were later seen getting into small trucks after they were searched by Syrian Democratic Forces fighters manning the evacuation corridor.
Shortly before sunset, more than 20 cars came out of the area carrying men, women and children, some of whom appeared to be foreigners. Some of the men were of fighting age and appeared able while others carried crutches. One woman covered in black flashed a victory sign as she left.
A Syrian Democratic Forces official who goes by Mervan The Brave said many Islamic State gunmen are still inside and prepared to fight. “This is not the end. We may be on the threshold of a new battle,” he said.
He said those who left the Islamic State-held area on Monday include people from Bosnia, Kazakhstan, Syria, Turkestan, Turkey and a man who claims he’s French.
An airstrike followed but it was not exactly clear what it targeted.
A Syrian Democratic Forces spokesman said the offensive has slowed down but pressure is being kept up away from the corridor to prevent fighters from infiltrating or sabotaging the area. She spoke on condition of anonymity because she was not authorized to speak to the press.
The U.S.-backed forces resumed their offensive on Baghouz on Friday after a two-week pause to allow for the evacuation of civilians.
Islamic State militants are desperately fighting to hang on to the last tiny piece of land in eastern Syria, deploying snipers and guided missiles and using dug-out tunnels for surprise attacks.
On Sunday, black smoke billowed over the besieged speck of land in the village after airstrikes hit several targets. Syrian Democratic Forces fighters had tightened the noose on the militants the day before, advancing from two fronts and cutting off their access to the river in Baghouz.