Fox News reported on Thursday that the final Islamic State stronghold in Syria, the village of Baghouz, has been liberated by the Kurdish-led, U.S.-allied Syrian Democratic Forces. The report has not been officially confirmed as of Thursday evening, but if Fox’s information is solid, the ISIS “caliphate” has been destroyed.
Fox News mentioned Syrian media reports about the action in Baghouz, but its Thursday exclusive was based primarily on observations from its own team on the ground in Syria:
It’s the first time since we’ve been here in Syria for five days that the bombs have stopped dropping and the gunfire has disappeared. We have witnessed the end of the caliphate – the brutal empire that once ruled over 8 million people – is gone.
Troops here are now bringing down the black flags of ISIS. The flags no longer fly over the town, instilling fear.
The last five days, Fox News has witnessed the last major offensive up close -– with U.S.-backed SDF forces attacking ISIS from three sides, pushing the fighters back, house to house, then tent to tent, against the Euphrates River.
Inside Baghouz, it’s easy to see how they hid for so long – not just in tunnels but trenches and hundreds of cubby holes covered by tarpaulins, which blend in perfectly to the dirt.
In the end, the majority surrendered. In fact, since the start of the year about 60,000 have dripped into the desert, and most are now held in camps.
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