Baladi News
ISIS now controls an area of Syria measuring just 700 square meters, a commander with the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces said Saturday.
The SDF launched an offensive last weekend to oust ISIS from its last enclave in Syria, in the small town of Baghouz Al-Fawqani in the country's east.
Its fighters have the terror group's final foothold surrounded but have slowed their advance to avoid harming thousands of civilians who are being held by ISIS as human shields, Commander Chia Kobani, head of operations for the SDF, told a press briefing.
"Some may be surprised that Baghouz has not yet fallen. But the firing has stopped. The area is within range of our fire. But we are moving cautiously because there are thousands of civilians being held as human shields," Kobani said.
"In the coming few days, very shortly, we will broadcast the good news to the world, to all the people of the region, the Kurds, the Arabs, the Assyrians, all the people of the region, of the military end of the ISIS terrorist group."