IS militants surrender to U.S.-backed SDF in eastern Syria

Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-04 23:07:33|Editor: Mu Xuequan
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DAMASCUS, March 4 (Xinhua) -- A total of 400 people, including 150 Islamic State (IS) militants, surrendered to the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Monday, a war monitor reported.

The IS members and their families left the farmlands of the Baghouz area in the eastern countryside of Deir al-Zour province, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

It said that a total of 6,000 IS militants have so far surrendered from that area in the eastern Euphrates River.

The U.S.-backed SDF started on Friday its last push against remnants of IS militants in eastern Syria, the SDF spokesman said.

After securing the evacuation of civilians and kidnapped SDF fighters, the SDF launched the final push against the IS-held area in the town of Baghouz in the eastern countryside of Deir al-Zour province, said Mustafa Bali, the SDF spokesman.

He said only "terrorists" are remaining in Baghouz.

The SDF fighters had been waiting for the civilians to be fully evacuated from Baghouz to launch the final stage of battle so as to eliminate IS completely from the few areas they control in farmlands of Baghouz.

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