They declare the end of the "caliphate" of the Islamic State after the loss of their last bastion in Syria

BAGHUZ, Syria.- The military forces in Syria
supported by the United States announced today that they have released the last bastion of

Islamic State

in Syria and they declared the end of the

"caliphate"

in Iraq and in this self-proclaimed country by the group in mid-2014.

The recovery of the village of Baghuz, in eastern Syria, by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDS), led by Kurdish fighters, marks the end of a bloody battle that lasted several weeks and in which thousands of people have fled the territory and hundreds have died.

"Baghouz is free and the military victory against Daesh was achieved [EI en árabe]"Mustafa Bali, an SDS spokesperson, tweeted.

To celebrate this victory, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters, the spearheads of the anti-jihadist struggle in Syria, waved their yellow flag in the village of Baghuz, where the extremists resisted until the end. Near the site of the battle, men and women of this force, in which the Kurds predominate, danced the dabke, a traditional dance.

The loss of what remained in their last bastion of eastern Syria, near the border with Iraq, means the
Territorial end of ISIS in Syria after its defeat in the neighboring country in 2017.

The elimination of the last bastion of EI marks the end of the insurgent proto-state which, at the time of its proclamation as caliphate, occupied a territory the size of the United Kingdom and
it was then reduced, but the group maintains a dispersed presence and dormant cells of fighters in these same two countries. Affiliates of the Islamic State group in the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt, Afghanistan and other countries are still a threat.

The terrorist group, the most brutal in contemporary history, has reigned terror by beheadings, mbad executions, kidnappings and rapes, mostly recorded in Hollywood fashion and viralized on social networks. Its power extends beyond its territory and the group claims attacks in other Arab or Asian countries and even in the West.

The campaign to reclaim the territory of the United States and its allies has been extended for five years and two US presidencies have launched more than 100,000 bombs and have killed a considerable number of combatants and civilians.

The announcement of the weekend, via a tweet, was disappointing and sporadic clashes continue in the field. A day earlier, President Donald Trump had declared that fighters of the Islamic State no longer controlled any territory in Syria.

The last battle

"The SDS announces the total elimination of the alleged caliphate and a territorial defeat of the IE at 100%," said a spokesman for this force, Mustefa Bali, in a statement.

The fighting, he said, was fierce in the face of stubborn jihadists who were eventually stuck in a small territorial strip on the edge of the Euphrates River in Deir Ezzor province.

I just wanted "a hill controlled by the IE," said another SDS official. At the foot of a hill, you can see the remains of the makeshift camp in which the jihadists have sunk.

Some of the improvised tents hide deep trenches. There are pots, plastic bowls, a brazier and broken clothes and even the black flags of the group, destroyed, among dry branches of shrubs.

The last jihadists hid in underground tunnels and warehouses, according to the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights (OSDH).

The SDS badault on Baghuz, launched in early February, is the latest phase of an operation launched in September 2018 to oust EI from areas under its control in Syria.

The military campaign, backed by aerial bombardment by the US-led international coalition, has had to slow the departure of tens of thousands of people, including thousands of jihadists who have surrendered and many others. members of their family.

Since January, more than 67,000 people have left the stronghold of the IEF, including 5,000 jihadists arrested, according to the SDS. Civilians, particularly relatives of extremists, have been transferred to camps, mainly in Al Hol (northeast), where they live in difficult conditions. More than 750 Kurdish forces fighters have died in six months of fighting and almost twice as many jihadists, according to the OSDH.

Call to attack

A few hours before the announcement of the defeat, EI has called a video for its supporters to resist and commit attacks on "enemies" of the West.

Despite the territorial loss, there are still scattered desert ISI fighters stretching from central Syria to the Iraqi border and into the desert areas of Iraq.

Some dormant cells manage to perpetrate attacks, say some experts, who think that ISIS is turning into an underground organization. Other badysts believe that the videos of the executions will remain in the memory and will serve as a model for spreading terror.

The battle against EI was the main front of the war in Syria, which has caused more than 370,000 deaths since March 2011. The regime of Bashar al-Assad, backed by Russia and Iran, has reconquered nearly two-thirds of the country.

The war in Syria, unleashed by repression of pro-democracy protests, has been complicated over the years with the participation of foreign powers and jihadist groups.

AFP and AP agencies