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On May 12, the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) besieged several units of ISIS inside the village of al-Baghuz on the Syrian-Iraqi border, in the southeastern Deir Ezzor countryside, according to Kurdish sources.
The UAE-based al-Aan TV also reported that the SDF had advanced 12km deep inside the ISIS-held pocket in the southeastern Deir Ezzor countryside and reached the western entrance of Hajin, more than 30km north of al-Baghuz.
The US-led coalition carried out several airstrikes on the remaining positions of ISIS in eastern Syria over the last week in support of the SDF. The ISIS-linked news agency Amaq reported that eight women and children had been killed in a coalition airstrike on May 12.
The SDF resumed its military operations against the ISIS members in the governorates of Deir Ezzor and al-Hasakah on May 1. However, the US-backed force is yet to capture any village or town from the terrorist group.
The ISIS media has not even reported any clashes between ISIS fighters and the SDF so far. Due to this, local observers questioned the seriousness of the SDF’s new offensive.
