Isis and its ‘caliphate’ is totally destroyed, Syrian forces announce

Kurdish-led forces pronounced the death of the Islamic State group’s nearly five-year-old “caliphate” Saturday after flushing out diehard jihadists from their very last bastion in eastern Syria.

“Syrian Democratic Forces declare total elimination of so-called caliphate and 100 percent territorial defeat of ISIS,” spokesman Mustefa Bali said in a statement.

He said the SDF had taken full control of Baghouz, a small village on the Euphrates where diehard jihadists made a bloody last stand.

Fighters from the US-backed Kurdish-Arab alliance raised their yellow flag in Baghouz early Saturday to celebrate the landmark victory.

It was reported earlier this month that thousands were evacuated from the Islamic State group’s last Syrian stronghold, as the “caliphate” breathed its dying breath.

US-backed forces evacuated almost 3,000 people including hundreds of fighters from the region.

The mass outpouring of people from the dying “caliphate” has sparked a major humanitarian emergency, with the United Nations saying hundreds are expected to arrive at Kurdish-run camps for the displaced on Tuesday alone.

The Syrian Democratic Forces and allies from the US-led coalition smashed their way into the last sliver of IS territory in the village of Baghouz at the beginning of March, unleashing a deluge of airstrikes and artillery attacks on besieged fighters.

But the Kurdish-led force slowed down the offensive shortly afterwards, motivated by concern for civilians still trapped inside the pocket.

An SDF spokesman said thousands had been evacuated from the crumbling jihadist bastion since his force dialled down its advance.

“We managed to evacuate about 3,000 people from (the) ISIS pocket”, Mustefa Bali said on Twitter, using another acronym for IS.

“A large number of Daesh (IS) jihadists surrendered to our forces among the same group,” he added.

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