SYRIA
Last IS position in Euphrates valley
January 24, 2019 - U.S.-backed, Kurdish-led forces are close to eliminating the last Syrian stronghold of so-called Islamic State (IS) after a four-month campaign to liberate the Euphrates River valley from the militant group.
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) – a Kurdish-dominated militia alliance backed by U.S.-led air strikes – launched a major offensive last September to remove the IS militant group from its last pocket of resistance in Syria.
The SDF has now only a seven-kilometre stretch that separates them from full control of the entire east of the Euphrates River region, according to Reuters.