SDF announces end of self-declared 'caliphate' as it liberates last IS enclave

Islamic State has been defeated at its final shred of the territory of Baghouz in Syria, the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said on Saturday, declaring the end of its self-declared "caliphate" that once spanned a third of Iraq and Syria.

"Baghouz has been liberated. The military victory against Daesh has been accomplished," Mustafa Bali, head of the SDF media office, wrote on Twitter. The SDF has been battling to capture Baghouz at the Iraqi border for weeks. Daesh is an Arabic acronym for Islamic State.