The ultimatum came after at least 56 civilians, including children, were reportedly killed Tuesday in US-led coalition air strikes near Manbij. BEIRUT - Islamic State group militants clashed Saturday with US-backed fighters in the Syrian town of Manbij, pursuing their fierce defence of the jihadist stronghold and ignoring a deadline to leave. On Saturday, IS jihadists appeared to ignore a 48-hour ultimatum to leave issued by the Manbij Military Council, a key member of the SDF. Thousands of civilians have already fled Manbij, which lies in Syria's northern Aleppo province. But the Britain-based Observatory says that in Syria, 594 civilians across the country have been killed in coalition raids -- more than 100 of them in Manbij alone.

Source: Bangkok Post July 23, 2016 13:07 UTC