SDF restarts ground operation to clear ISIS from Baghouz town
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Operation Jazira Storm re-commenced on Friday night for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to flush remaining Islamic State (ISIS) fighters out of al-Baghouz town.
"After the evacuation of civilians by from forces from al-Baghouz, our fighters liberated those who were abducted by ISIS. There is no one in al-Baghouz except for terrorists. Therefore, our forces began military mobilization and the fight against terrorists to complete the final liberation," Bali tweeted in Arabic.
After evacuation of thousands of civilians and our comrades who held hostage in #Baghouz, operation to clear the last remaining pocket of ISIS has just started at 18:00 this evening.
— Mustafa Bali (@mustefabali) March 1, 2019
The SDF had paused their operation for several weeks to allow fighters and civilians to surrender to their forces.
They are biometrically screened in cooperation with the US-led international anti-ISIS coalition and taken to camps elsewhere in Syria like al-Hol.
The area has long been described as the last ISIS stronghold east of the Euphrates by senior US military officials.
Weather and US President Donald Trump's announced troop withdrawal have been blamed for the lull. Trump agreed to keep 200 forces in Syria last week, but did not reveal a timetable for the withdrawal of more than 2,000 US forces in Syria.
Trump again falsely claimed on Thursday that the caliphate had been completely defeated.
"We just took over — you know, you kept hearing it was 90 percent, 92 percent - the caliphate in Syria. Now it's 100 percent. We just took over," Trump told US service members in Alaska on his way back from Vietnam.
This is a developing story...