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Islamic State enclave pounded in U.S.-backed assault

12 March 2019 04:49 (UTC +04:00)

Islamic State’s final enclave in eastern Syria was pounded with air strikes and artillery on Monday in a U.S.-backed assault aimed at wiping out the last shred of its territorial rule that once spanned a third of Syria and Iraq, ONA reports quoting Reuters.

Fierce clashes could be heard as air strikes and artillery targeted the enclave at Baghouz near the Iraqi border, where the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) launched their assault on Sunday, a Reuters journalist in Baghouz said.

The SDF said earlier its fighters advanced slowly to avoid losses and were encountering sniper fire and landmines. The most hardened IS foreign fighters are still holed up inside the area, the SDF has said.