The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Saturday announced the final push to expel hundreds of diehard jihadists from that patch in eastern Syria on the Iraq border. - Screening for jihadists -Since December, tens of thousands of people, most women and children related to IS fighters, have fled to SDF territory. Another 600 people were able to reach SDF territory on Sunday after fleeing the fighting, the Observatory said. In January an IS suicide bomber attacked a US patrol in the northeastern city of Manbij, killing four Americans, five SDF fighters and ten civilians. Syria's war has killed 360,00 people and displaced millions since it started in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests.

Source: Bangkok Post February 11, 2019 10:30 UTC