Iraq News

SDF seize east Syria village from ISIS

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Tuesday (January 15th) seized a key village from the "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS), further chipping away at the group’s last eastern holdout on the Iraqi border, AFP reported.

Backed by international coalition airstrikes, the SDF have since September been battling to expel ISIS from the so-called Hajin pocket in the eastern province of Deir Ezzor.

In recent weeks, they have whittled it down to just a handful of villages on the eastern banks of the Euphrates River.

On Tuesday, the SDF seized the largest of these from ISIS after the group fled, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

"The SDF took control of al-Sousa after the withdrawal of ISIS fighters to territory that remains under their control," Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said.

That leaves ISIS battling to defend just 15 square kilometres of land, he added.

According to the Observatory, more than 1,100 ISIS fighters have been killed since the start of the operation on September 10th, while more than 600 SDF fighters have also lost their lives.

Around 360 civilians including 130 children have also been killed, the Observatory said.

Do you like this article?

0 Comment(s)
Comment Policy * Denotes Required Field 1500 / 1500