An Arab-Kurd alliance cornered the "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant" (ISIL) in a last part of al-Tabqa on Monday (May 1st), AFP reported.
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) were in control of all but a fifth of al-Tabqa as of early Monday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
The SDF broke into al-Tabqa from the south a week ago and steadily advanced north, squeezing ISIL in three contiguous neighbourhoods on the bank of the Euphrates River.
At dawn on Monday, ISIL fighters withdrew from the westernmost district towards the other two neighbourhoods, said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman.
"The SDF now control more than 80% of al-Tabqa," Abdel Rahman said, with ISIL only holding the two northern neighbourhoods of Hurriyah and Wahdah.
A total of 35 ISIL fighters were killed in 24 hours of clashes and airstrikes in al-Tabqa, the Observatory said on Monday. It had no immediate information on casualties among SDF fighters.
