Battles are fierce near final IS foothold in eastern Syria

BEIRUT >> Islamic State militants cornered in their last foothold in eastern Syria fought back with suicide car bombs, snipers and booby traps Monday, slowing Kurdish fighters advancing under the cover of U.S.-led coalition airstrikes, Kurdish news agencies and a Syrian war monitor said.

An Italian photographer was wounded in the clashes between the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces and the militants holed up in the village of Baghouz, near the border with Iraq, an Italian news agency said.

No one knows exactly how many Islamic State fighters are holding out in the sliver of territory under attack, although they are estimated to be in the hundreds, most of them foreign fighters. It also is unclear if civilians are inside, caught under heavy bombardment.

The SDF on Saturday launched its final push to clear the area of IS after months of fighting.