The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are working towards evacuating civilians remaining in the holdout, so they can finish off the dying IS "caliphate" either through an assault or a surrender deal. SDF spokesman Afrin said most of those trucked out on Wednesday were civilians, but they also included IS fighters. Fabien Clain, who is believed to have gone to Syria in March 2015, was killed in Baghouz, they said. Across the border, security officials in Iraq said the SDF handed over 130 Iraqi jihadists to Baghdad on Thursday, but SDF spokesman Mustefa Bali denied the claim. In Washington, the White House said it would keep around 200 troops in Syria after Trump's pullout for an unspecified period.

Source: Dhaka Tribune February 22, 2019 02:48 UTC