ISIS terrorists killed 19 SDF fighters in Deir Ezzor

At least 30 Islamic State fighters killed by the Kurdish forces on Thursday as the US-backed group pressed gains against the militant group in the eastern province of Deir Ezzor, local activist said.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have seized half of the village of Bagouz al-Fouqani, last Daesh stronghold in eastern Syria.

Clashes are still underway in the town, which has been endured to heavy aerial bombing by the U.S.-led warplanes. Local activists said 15 SDF fighters were killed in the intense fighting with Daesh.

Daesh news agency said 4 SDF fighters were also killed in surprise attack on their bastion in the Shuaitat area.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces said its fighters stormed the Bagouz area and are close to the center of the village. The forces added that they plan to open another front in the Sousseh area along the Euphrates River to increase pressure on the extremists.

SDF launched with the help of the U.S.-led coalition a wide offensive last week to capture the last pocket held by IS in Syria. The Kurdish-led forces have been among the most effective in the fight against Daesh in Syria, forcing them out of much of the country’s east.

Despite losing most of the territory it held between Iraq and Syria since its peak in 2014, Daesh remains a disruptive force in both countries. Its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, urged his followers to “persevere” in an audio tape attributed to him last month.

The Daesh-linked Aamaq news agency said the group’s gunmen targeted advancing SDF fighters in the Bagouz area with mortar rounds, roadside bombs and sniper fire inflicting many casualties among them.

The SDF commander of the operation in Bagouz, who identified himself as Shergo, said in a video statement that the fighting is intense from both sides and that his fighters now control almost half of the village.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Daesh fighters are relying on a network of tunnels in the area and land mines to slow down SDF’s offensive. It said that some 100 women and 30 men, including IS fighters, along with their children, surrendered to SDF fighters. The Daesh gunmen were taken to tightly secured positions in the area, it added.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said SDF brought in some 1,000 fighters to fortify its positions and boost the forces carrying out the offensive.

Source: Zamanalwsl