Islamic State militants surrender, thousands leave eastern Syria as their stronghold dips

Some 200 Islamic State fighters surrendered after a ferocious battle over their last shred of territory in eastern Syria, but around thousand may still be holding out, a spokesman for the US-backed Syrian force battling them said on Monday, March 4. Hundreds of people including fighters from the IS group have surrendered and evacuated their last foothold in eastern Syria on Monday hours after US-backed Syrian fighters.

Mustafa Bali tweeted that about 3,000 came out of the village of Baghouz in eastern Syria on Monday through a humanitarian corridor established by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces for those who want to leave or surrender.

Bali says among those who left was a large number of IS fighters who “surrendered to our forces.” The evacuations came as the U.S. backed forces slowed down their latest push on Baghouz, which resumed last week, to allow civilians to leave the tiny enclave.

It’s unclear how many IS militants and civilians remain inside, but the number is likely in the hundreds.