US-Backed Syrian Fighters To Continue Attack Against Islamic State

A spokesman for the U.S.-backed force fighting the Islamic State group says a deadline for the extremists to surrender has ended and the Kurdish-led force will resume its attack on the last area held by them.

Mustafa Bali, a spokesman for the Syrian Democratic Forces, tweeted Sunday that the decision to resume the offensive comes after thousands of civilians left Baghouz, which is the last village held by the Islamic State group.

Baquaz- the timeline that we give it for ISIS to surrender themselves is over- our forces is ready now to start and finish what is left in ISIS hands- the SDF could rescue thousands of civilians during the past month/ plus thousands of IS members surrender to our forces

— Mustafa Bali (@mustefabali) March 10, 2019

Under the cover of heavy coalition bombing on March 1-2, SDF forces advanced on the besieged tent encampment, leaving a corridor for residents to evacuate.

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Following that operation, thousands of residents and many fighters evacuated Baghouz over the next four days.

“Our forces is ready now to start and finish what is left in ISIS hands,” Bali added.

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4:20 p.m. (local time)

Syrian opposition activists said dozens of people have demonstrated in the southern city of Daraa.

They are protesting the construction of a statue of the late Syrian President Hafez Assad.

Daraa is the city where Arab Spring-inspired uprising began with peaceful protests in March 2011.

However, those protests escalated into an armed rebellion that has killed more than 400,000 people.

The late Assad is the father of President Bashar Assad, whose forces have made major gains over the past few years in the war with backing from his strong allies, Russia and Iran.

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The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor, said the protest occurred in Daraa’s center.

Protesters reportedly chanted “Long live Syria” and “Down with Bashar Assad.”

Other opposition activist collectives, including the Shaam News Network, reported the protest.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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