The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces said on Sunday more than 60,000 people, mostly civilians, had flooded out of ISIS’ last enclave in eastern Syria since a final assault to capture it began over two months ago, amid "difficulties" defeating the extremists.
SDF spokesman Kino Gabriel told reporters that 29,600 people, the majority of them families of ISIS militants, had surrendered since the US-backed forces laid siege to Baghouz and its hinterland on the Euphrates River.
Among them were 5,000 militants, the SDF said.
Another 34,000 civilians were evacuated from Baghouz, the last shred of territory held by the extremists who have been driven from roughly one third of Iraq and Syria over the past four years, Gabriel said.
Another SDF spokesman Mustafa Bali told Reuters only around a hundred militants and their families had surrendered overnight in the spot where hardline insurgents have been mounting a desperate last-stand defense.
"We had expected the surrender of a large number of terrorists and their families but only a small group came out," Bali said.
Artillery bombardment of Baghouz, along with airstrikes, resumed on Sunday afternoon after a lull in fighting, a Reuters journalist there said, with smoke billowing over the enclave.
The SDF said that 1,306 "terrorists" had been killed alongside many who were injured in the military campaign that began on Jan. 9, while 82 SDF fighters had been killed and 61 injured.
The SDF said another 520 militants were captured in special operations in the last ISIS bastion.
"We are facing several difficulties regarding the operations," Gabriel told reporters.
He cited the large number of mines and explosive devices planted by ISIS and the existence of tunnels and hideouts beneath the ground that are being used by the militants to attack SDF forces or defend themselves.
