Mustafa Bali, head of SDF’s press office, made the announcement on Twitter, saying their forces are in control of the encampment ISIS had been corralled into on the shores of the Euphrates River near Baghouz.
“This is not a victory announcement, but a significant progress in the fight against Daesh,” he said, using an Arabic acronym for ISIS.
“Clashes are continuing as a group of ISIS terrorists who are confined into a tiny area still fight back,” he added.
The militants are stretched out along a sliver of territory on the banks of the river, a stone’s throw from the border with Iraq.
— Mustafa Bali (@mustefabali) March 19, 2019
The SDF have transferred hundreds of sick and injured militants to hospital, Bali added.
The Kurdish-led force has been surprised by the number of ISIS militants and their families who were hiding in the tent camp. On Sunday, SDF spokesperson Kino Gabriel estimated that some 5,000 people – fighters and their families – still remained in the Baghouz pocket after tens of thousands fled or surrendered.
ISIS built a network of tunnels and trenches in the area. The militants who have not surrendered are battle-hardened and ideologically driven. They include hundreds of foreigners.
SDF special forces captured 157 of the militants, “mostly foreign nationals,” in an operation, Bali tweeted earlier on Tuesday.
Fighting between the SDF, backed by the international coalition, and ISIS has flared up and died down in a cycle that has gone on for weeks. The SDF have proceeded slowly, at times suspending operations in order to give civilians the opportunity to flee the battle zone.
Updated at 3:37 pm
