Once upon a time, the "Islamic State" (ISIS) , which swept Iraq and Syria, occupied half of the two countries, and the actual control area even exceeded the territory of the UK .
Nowadays, only 700 square meters of (a standard football field area is 7140 square meters) territory "Islamic State Organization" has not been around for many days. These remnants were surrounded and annihilated on the banks of Euphrates River and were defending their last stronghold with the "human shield".
The main force of the Islamic State (ISIS) supported by the United States and led by Kurds, , the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), said recently that the remaining forces of the Islamic State in Syria are currently besieged in the town of Baghouz on the banks of the Euphrates River.
SDF After launching the final offensive a few days ago, the enemy retreated to the last 700 square meters of stronghold on the 16th. The commander of
SDF also said that the "Islamic State Organization" can be wiped out in the next few days and the lost land in Syria will be completely recaptured. At its peak,
ISIS once had a territory equivalent to the size of Britain and ruled tens of millions of people, including Iraq and northern Syria, all fell into their hands.
However, under the active counterattack of the multinational coalition forces, the Islamic State first lost its main base in Iraq in 2017. A few months later, even the "capital " Raqqq was captured by the "Syrian Democratic Army".
After that, the territory that ISIS can effectively rule has rapidly shrunk, and the main force of combat is basically limited to the Euphrates Valley.
Since September last year, the "Syrian Democratic Army" began to recover lost land along the Euphrates River. In early February this year, it besieged it in the last stronghold on the Euphrates River, the town of Bagus, the last stronghold on the Euphrates River, under the cover of US airstrikes and artillery, and the "Syrian Democratic Army" formed by the Syrian Kuds, Arabs and Assyrians began to attack the town of Bagus in Deir ez-Zor on February 9.
Although this is the last stronghold of ISIS in Syria, the commander of the "Syrian Democratic Army" also knew very well that this upcoming victory does not mean that the ISIS power is completely destroyed, but rather that it enters the next stage of the war: continuing to fight against the remnants of ISIS that have moved underground.
Trump : I will announce the good news soon!
Trump told the media at the White House on the 16th: "In the next 24 hours, we will have many things related to Syria to be announced, including our successful elimination of the "Caliphate" (Caliphate, because the "Islamic State Organization" announced in 2014 that they are the "Caliphate" representing all devout Muslims). "
Trump also said that if Western countries do not assist in the shelter of the 800 IS fighters detained by the United States, he may be forced to "release these people."
72 hours have passed, and Trump still has not announced any special news. But the reason why he is so optimistic is that the situation between the two sides is indeed very different: the "Syrian Democratic Army" (non-regular army of the Syrian government) with Western countries helping to fight, surrounded the town of Bagus with about 17,000 troops, and the besieged ISIS soldiers were between 500 and 1,000. No matter how you look at it, ISIS will definitely lose this time.
"Human Shield" blocked the SDF offensive
But since the offensive against Bagus Town on the 9th, the "Syrian Democratic Army" has been unable to take this small place.
Until the 16th, ISIS still fought stubbornly in the last 700 square meters of small space. This was not because the ISIS soldiers were brave and good at fighting. The real key was that these soldiers held thousands of civilians as "human shields" in their hands and blocked all roads from the outside world to prevent these ordinary people from escaping.
"Syrian Democratic Army" certainly took the opportunity to attack. The spokesperson said that these enemies entrenched in the residential area of Bagus Town have hidden in many tunnels in the town, making it difficult for the troops to advance.
The coalition forces besieging ISIS emphasized that they will not have any contact or exchange of conditions with ISIS now, but the troops surrounding and annihilated ISIS still have "escape channels" in several areas, hoping to get the trapped people out.
Among the escaped civilians, women and children will be sent directly to the refugee camp, but they are not so lucky to be male escapees who are considered to be posing as ISIS fighters. They were not sent to refugee camps, but caught in prisons that were to be identified.
What does it mean to win the "Islamic State"?
The IS militants surrounded by groups have run out of ammunition and rescued, and they have no food or water. As long as the civilians inside escape, the SDF can launch an offensive. Victory is just a matter of time.
However, it is estimated that at least four or five thousand ISIS soldiers fled to the Syrian desert area on the west bank of the Euphrates River. These people may take advantage of the situation to make a new start at any time.
US military Central Command Commander Votel estimates that there are about 20,000 to 30,000 remnants of troops roaming around. A report published by the Pentagon in August last year believes that there may be 15,500 to 17,100 IS fighters in Iraq and 14,000 in Syria.
According to US military officials, may have also taken away $200 million in cash from Syria to the mountains and desert areas of Iraq in the past six months.
If all Syria’s loss of land against the “Islamic State” is completely recaptured, it cannot mean a complete victory. So what level should we fight?
To truly "beat" ISIS, it is not just about defeating the so-called "Calif.". More importantly, the ISIS network must be completely gone, including "defeating" the financial system that provides weapons and resources to local organizations.
Whether it is defeating " Caliphate countries" or defeating the IS operation network, another headache for countries after ISIS collapses is: What should I do with these ISIS fighters from all over the world?
These ISIS soldiers are from , France, Germany, Britain, Belgium , Russia, Kosovo, and North Africa Tunisia , Morocco , Albania, and Turkey and Indonesia and so on. They can simply form a "United Nations Army" .
Europeans' own problems, Trump has never been right and tweeted continuously, asking European allies to manage those who have experienced many battles.
"The United States asked Britain, France, Germany and other European allies to bring back more than 800 ISIS fighters we captured in Syria and put them on trial. The Caliph is about to lose. The alternative is not very good because we will be forced to release them... The United States does not want to see these ISIS fighters infiltrate Europe , and that is exactly what they expected. We have done a lot and spent so much time, it is time to get others to stand up and do what they can do. After 100% victory against the Caliph, we are retreating!" (end)
