IS on verge of defeat in its Syrian bastion

AIN ISSA: The militant Islamic State (IS) group is on the verge of defeat in Raqqa, once its de facto capital in Syria, and the city may be cleared of the militants by Sunday (today) night, according to the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia.

A local official said tribal elders were seeking to broker a deal under which remaining IS fighters, including foreigners, would leave the city, taking civilians with them as human shields.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), backed by air strikes and special forces from a US-led international coalition, have been battling since June to oust IS from Raqqa, a base that it had used to plan attacks against the West.

100 militants have already surrendered arms

The retaking of Raqqa will be a major milestone in efforts to roll back the so-called “caliphate” that IS declared in Syria and Iraq, where earlier this year it was driven from the city of Mosul.