Islamic State militants, along with women and children, surrendered in the hundreds to U.S.-backed forces in eastern Syria on Thursday as the jihadists lost ground in their last shred of territory in Baghouz.
The Islamic state militants suffered major military defeats in 2017, when they lost the cities of Mosul in Iraq and Raqqa in Syria. They were then forced down the Euphrates River to their last bastion at Baghouz.
While this surrender marks a victory for the Syrian Democratic Forces U.S. defence officials and expert have state that they do not believe any Islamic State commanders were in Baghouz village, stating that the group leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is still alive and possibly hiding in Iraq.