US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are insisting, as they have for
months now, that the battle for the last ISIS village, Baghouz, is “as good as over.” These sort of predictions of imminent victory have been consistent, but never panned out.
Reports on the ground out of Baghouz sound much as they always do.
“Hundreds of ISIS fighters and their family members surrendered to the
SDF, and an estimated 1,500 to 2,000 more civilians fled the tiny village.
That would sound like a battle just about wrapping up, except that tens
of thousands of civilians have fled in recent weeks, and hundreds have
surrendered several times as well.
The SDF admitted on Sunday they were shocked by the “never-ending”
number of people pouring out of Baghouz, and this seems to be just a
continuation of that. There are several estimates of how many thousands
of people are left, but so far they’ve all proven wrong, with more and
more people trickling out.
Thousands Flee Last ISIS Village in Syria as Kurds Predict Victory
SDF says battle 'as good as over' after months of promising imminent victory
Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.
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