Hundreds leave IS-held area as fighting slows down

Over 500 people, including fighters, have surrendered and evacuated the village of Baghouz which is considered as the last foothold of IS in Syria. US-backed forces have launched an operations against IS militants.

Baghouz: Hundreds of people, including fighters from the Islamic State group, evacuated their last foothold in Syria on Monday, hours after US-backed Syrian fighters said they were forced to slow their advance because the extremists were using civilians as human shields.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces said some 500 people, including fighters, had surrendered and evacuated the village of Baghouz and its surrounding areas throughout the day.

Dozens of men, women and children climbed hills on foot and were later seen getting into small trucks after they were searched by SDF fighters manning the evacuation corridor.

Some 200 more people were expected to evacuate the village later on Monday.

The US-backed forces resumed their offensive on Baghouz last Friday, after a two-week pause to allow for the evacuation of civilians.

Retaking the sliver of land would be a milestone in the devastating four-year campaign to end IS' self-proclaimed "caliphate" that once straddled a vast territory across both Syria and Iraq.