Iraqi forces launched an attack to drive Islamic State from the last territory it holds in Iraq on Thursday and the Syrian army and its allies said they planned to march on the jihadist’s last Syrian stronghold. The separate assaults across the Iraqi-Syrian frontier aim to deal a final blow to the Islamic State “caliphate” that has crumbled this year in Syria and Iraq, with the group losing the cities of Mosul, Raqqa and swathes of other territory. In a statement welcoming the offensive, the US-led coalition said approximately 1,500 Islamic State fighters were estimated to be still in the immediate vicinity of al-Qaim. Syrian government forces and their allies have made rapid gains against Islamic State in Deir al-Zor in recent weeks. The US-led coalition is waging a separate campaign against the group in Deir al-Zor, focused on areas to the east of the Euphrates River.

Source: Dhaka Tribune October 26, 2017 13:07 UTC