QAMISHLI (SYRIA) - The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces said Saturday it had begun the "final battle" to oust the Islamic State group from the last scrap of territory it holds in eastern Syria. "The SDF have launched the final battle to crush IS... in the village of Baghouz," the SDF said in a statement. In that time, more than 1,200 IS militants, more than 670 SDF fighters, and around 400 civilians have been killed in the fighting, the Observatory says. - Female fighter's funeral -In the northeastern Kurdish-majority city of Qamishli on Saturday, SDF fighters stood to attention at the funeral of a YPJ fighter who died fighting IS. Neighbouring Turkey sees Syrian Kurdish fighters as "terrorists" and has repeatedly threatened to attack YPG-held areas along its southern border.

Source: Bangkok Post February 09, 2019 20:26 UTC