U.S.-Backed Coalition Continues Final Offensive Against Islamic State

FILE – In this Wednesday, April 4, 2018 file photo, a U.S. soldier, left, sits on an armored vehicle behind a sand barrier at a newly installed position near the front line between the U.S-backed Syrian Manbij Military Council and the Turkish-backed fighters, in Manbij, north Syria. An American military official said Friday, Jan. 11, 2019 that the U.S.-led military coalition has begun the process of withdrawing troops from Syria. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File)

 

A U.S.-led coalition is cracking down on the remnants of the Islamic state in Syria, ahead of the planned troop withdrawal from the country.
According to the Syrian Democratic Forces, the ongoing U.S.-backed offensive is focusing on the last outposts of ISIS on the Syrian-Iraqi border.
Officials say ISIS only controls two small villages on the east bank of the Euphrates River.
SDF fighters believe ISIS will lose its last remaining territories over the upcoming weeks.
The ongoing military operation is expected to end the existence of the ISIS caliphate on the ground in Syria.
The Syrian Observatory of Human Rights said at least 42 people–including 13 civilians–were killed in a recent series of airstrikes against the Islamic state.