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Thousands of civilians have fled fighting in the last village held by ISIS militants
US-backed fighters in Syria said they were facing fierce resistance in the latest enclave held by Islamic State (IS) militants near the Iraqi border.
A spokesman for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) told AP news agency "The most experienced jihadists" are defending their last bastion.
Two years ago, the IS controlled vast areas of Syria and Iraq.
But they are now locked in a small pocket of Deir al-Zour province, in eastern Syria, near the Iraqi border.
On Saturday, after a pause of more than a week to allow some 20,000 civilians to leave the region, SDF spokesman Mustafa Bali said the group was launching the "final battle for crush the "EI" in the border village of Baghuz.
During the night, he told the Associated Press (AP): "The battle is very fierce, and those who stay inside are the most experienced defending their last stronghold. can imagine the ferocity and magnitude of the fighting. "
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The SDF, backed by airstrikes by the US-led coalition, has driven ISIS out of towns and villages in northeastern Syria in recent months.
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At its peak in 2014, the IS has set up a "caliphate" covering Syria and Iraq of similar size to that of the UK and reigning over 7.7 million people.
In December, US President Donald Trump said that ISIS militants were "almost all gone," and announced that the United States would withdraw all of its 2,000 troops from Syria.
On Wednesday, he said: "It should be announced, probably sometime next week, that we will have 100% of the caliphate".
The last fight of the IS?
Analysis of BBC Arab Affairs Editor Sebastian Usher
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AFP
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has not been seen in public since July 2014
In recent months, the US-backed SDF has been patiently driving IS out of all towns and villages in northeastern Syria. The jihadists have been reduced to a few square kilometers of territory.
In recent days, President Trump has declared that the total defeat of the IS could be announced next week. This suits his program of withdrawal of all US troops from Syria.
But that's not all, the East still has another territory in Syria further west, while its dormant cells remain active.
It's the same story in Iraq. His ability to continue a guerrilla insurgency persists.
The fate of his hostages, such as British journalist John Cantlie, remains unclear – as does that of his leader, Abu Bakr al Baghdadi.
How many activists are there?
EI has suffered heavy losses, but the UN says it will still control between 14,000 and 18,000 militants in Iraq and Syria, including 3,000 foreigners.
At the same time, there is a significant number of IS affiliates in Afghanistan, Egypt, Libya, South-East Asia, and West Africa, and to a lesser extent Somalia, Sudan. Yemen, Sinai and Sahel.
Individuals inspired by the ideology of the group also continue to carry out attacks elsewhere.
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