Large Number of ISIS Surrender in Syria, Many More Remain

According to the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), some 200 ISIS fighters came out of the tiny remnant of ISIS territory and surrendered today. These 200 came out of the territory along with an estimated 3,000 civilians.

All of these people came out of a territory within the village of Baghouz which the SDF had previously described as about 700 square meters, smaller than a city block, and despite this, they claim large amounts of ISIS fighters remain, along with an unknown number of civilians.

These are preposterously large numbers coming out of a very small area, and there is incredibly, no sign of them running out of either civilians or combatants. The SDF now estimates around 1,000 ISIS remaining “give or take” in this tiny area.

All of this gives the impression that the SDF estimates are catering to different audiences, sometimes emphasizing how few ISIS remain and predicting their defeat in a matter of days, and then weeks later arguing that a huge amount of them remain and the fighting must continue. When one considers the high priority the SDF keeps on convincing the US of the need to stay in Syria, its not surprising that the story of the battle of Baghouz is getting so inconsistent.