With the conquest of Hajin in Syria lose Islamic State, its last urban stronghold. This is after three years of fierce struggle, in particular of Kurdish fighters, the caliphate of dropped off the map.
The attack on the last piece of the caliphate was difficult. Only after three months of bloody fighting, vomiting the Syrian Democratic Forces with U.s. and Iraqi support of the resistance from Islamic State in Hajin. With the fall of the town comes after three years, the ambition IS to be a caliphate throughout the world.
The taking of the town on the Euphrates, 30 kilometres from the border with Iraq, is the crown on the work of, particularly, the Kurdish fighters, led by the YPG militia. They provided by far the largest contribution to the offensive against IS. A force of 17,000 Kurds conquered village after village in the inhospitable Syrian province of Deir Ezzor. They received help from American troops and air force. The Iraqi army gave artilleriesteun from the other side of the border.
Great loss
The losses on both sides were large. The Syrian Democratic Forces lost five hundred fighters, Islamic State about nine hundred. There were also fatalities among the civilian population. At least 320 people lost their lives, the most casualties in air strikes in support of ground troops.
According to the victors, is now sentenced to a guerrilla war from the remote villages in the rock-covered desert in the border region. Colonel Sean Ryan, spokesman of the coalition, speaks of a milestone. “The terrorists have nowhere else control over large groups of people. They walk on their last legs, but the fight is not over. They can still strike with coordinated attacks.’
They walk on their last legs, but the fight is not over.
Sean Ryan
In and around Hajin convert the Kurdish fighters now everything to the last resistance IS about to break. An estimated 5,000 IS fighters among whom are 2,000 Arab and European terrorists, refuse to surrender. They still offer resistance from caves and a tunnel system where their families are hiding. IS has also, on shelters west of the Euphrates, where the Syrian army and its allies have the say.
According to Donald Trump, there will be “about a month in the region IS no warrior to be found to be’” but find that Syrian and Iraqi victors “very premature”. After the fall of Hajin arises especially in the question on where IS-leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdad ceases. There are indications that he is also in Hajin had hidden. The chance exists that he is among the last of the 5,000 IS fighters in the Syrian desert. There is also to take into account that he’s from eastern Syria to Iraq has fled, and the underground is gone. Abu Bakr al-Baghdad had for the last heard of in August. IS published when via their media outlet, al-Furqaan an audio recording of more than 45 minutes. Al-Baghdadi began his speech by muslims to congratulate the feast of sacrifice, and called upon his followers to “keep up”.
