BEIRUT — Pro-government forces defeated the Islamic State group in its last major stronghold in Syria, state media and a monitoring group reported on Sunday, leaving the militants to defend just strips of desert territory in the country and a besieged pocket outside the capital, Damascus. Also Sunday, more than two dozen civilians were killed as government forces and rebels traded fire across fronts in Damascus and Homs, Syria’s third largest city. Eight civilians were killed in rebel shelling on Homs, which also put the city’s al-Walid flour mill out of service, Syria’s SANA news agency reported. Pro-government forces were combing the town for booby traps, Syria’s SANA news agency reported. ISIL has suffered consecutive defeats at the hands of separate but simultaneous offensives in Iraq and Syria by the Russian-backed Syrian forces and allied militias as well as U.S.-backed Iraqi and Syrian fighters.

Source: National Post November 19, 2017 20:37 UTC