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US-backed Syrian fighters resume attack on IS in Baghouz

US-backed Syrian fighters resumed an operation to retake the Islamic State group's last stronghold Baghouz on Sunday, after a deadline for the group's gunmen to surrender expired. The assault was renewed days after thousands of people left the tiny village held by IS near the Iraqi border area.

Attack on Islamic State group's last stronghold
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Published : Mar 11, 2019, 8:41 AM IST

Baghouz: US-backed Syrian fighters resumed an operation to retake the Islamic State group's last stronghold in eastern Syria on Sunday, after a deadline for the group's gunmen to surrender expired.

Attack on Islamic State group's last stronghold

Explosions and fires illuminated columns of smoke over Baghouz after Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces launched the offensive around 6 pm local time.

The assault was renewed days after thousands of people left the tiny village held by IS on the banks of the Euphrates River near the Iraqi border area.

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Over the past few weeks, more than 10,000 civilians have been evacuated from Baghouz, streaming out daily through a corridor arranged by the two sides.

But since Friday, only a small group has left.

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SDF officials believe that up to 4,000 women and children are believed to still be in the pocket, along with around 500 IS fighters.

The capture of Baghouz would be a milestone in the devastating four-year campaign to defeat the group's so-called "caliphate" that once covered a vast territory straddling both Syria and Iraq.

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