The last IS-held town in the country, it was retaken on Friday by Iraqi forces. Rawah, 275 kilometres northwest of Baghdad, lies along the Euphrates River Valley near the border town of Qaim that Iraqi forces retook from IS earlier this month. All that now remains of IS-held Iraq are patches of rural territory in the country's vast western desert along the border with Syria. The last urban areas controlled by the militants in Syria are the border town of Boukamal and a patch of territory near the capital, Damascus, and in central Hama province. Iraqi and American officials say IS militants are expected to continue carrying out insurgent-style attacks in Syria, Iraq and beyond.

Source: Bangkok Post November 17, 2017 13:30 UTC