150 fanatics surrender as noose closes on ISIS town

UP TO 150 Islamic State fighters dramatically surrendered to US-backed forces yesterday as the terror group faced a rout in its final stronghold.

IS is expected to be defeated imminently in Baghouz, its last shred of territory in Syria, after a ferocious battle to retake the village saw jihadis abandon their last stand.

They were among 500 people who fled the village as Kurdishled Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) were forced to slow their assault amid fears civilians were being used as ‘human shields’ by the jihadis.

Despite the large numbers surrendering, an unknown number of militants are said to still be inside and still fighting.

But an SDF spokesman said the battle to retake Baghouz was ‘going to be over soon’.

An SDF military source said 150 jihadis had left along with about 350 civilians – confirming an earlier Syrian Observatory for Human Rights report on the surrender.

Retaking Baghouz would be a significant milestone in the four-year campaign to end Islamic State’s self-proclaimed ‘caliphate’ that once straddled a vast territory across Syria and Iraq.