Just before sundown Tuesday, more than 40 trucks headed toward Baghouz, the last village where IS militants are trapped with hundreds of civilians. “We are working on either separating the civilians or evacuating them and raiding the place,” Bali told The Associated Press. About 40 civilians, including a French woman, left the enclave Tuesday morning, apparently after paying smugglers, said a member of the Free Burma Rangers, a volunteer medical group. He reported some clashes on the other side of the enclave between SDF fighters and IS militants who want to continue the battle. In a statement issued in Geneva, U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet said the extremists are actively preventing civilians, including women and children, from leaving the area.

Source: National Post February 19, 2019 12:00 UTC