Three ISIS suicide bombers strike SDF screening area near Baghouz
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Suicide bombers attacked an area used by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to screen people surrendering from al-Baghouz on Friday, killing three SDF fighters.
"Daesh terrorists" conducted three simultaneous suicide attacks at a staging ground for people surrendering from Baghouz to the SDF, Mustafa Bali, the head of the SDF Press Office tweeted on Friday night.
The SDF says the attacks killed six people who were surrendering, wounded others, while killing three SDF fighters and slightly injuring some more.
They also announced that more "Daesh terrorists" from Baghouz had surrendered on Friday.
ISIS is being pounded with US-led international coalition strikes, while simulataneously facing a three-axis ground offensive by the SDF which is supported by the coalition.
They have resorted to suicide attacks on a nearly hourly basis within the past two days.
The SDF is keeping open a corridor for families to evacuate and militants to surrender. On Thursday, 1,300 people – families and fighters – turned themselves in, Bali tweeted. More than 60,000 people have evacuated the Baghouz area since December, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
SDF spokesperson Kino Gabriel also denied on Friday that it has reached an agreement with Baghdad to hand over thousands of ISIS militants and family members held in SDF custody.
Baghouz town and its outlying villages lie in Syria's eastern Deir ez-Zor governorate near the border with Iraq. The area in the Middle Euphrates River Valley long has been described as the group's "final stand" by senior US military officials.