SDF Flag Raised Over Building as US-Backed Group Reports Victory Over Islamic State in Baghuz

Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on March 23 said they had recaptured Baghuz in Syria’s Deir Ezzor from Islamic State (IS) fighters.

Baghuz was the last major IS-held territory in Syria, though thousands of IS fighters remain in the country.

Mustafa Bali, a spokesman for the US-backed SDF, made the following statement on Twitter: “Syrian Democratic Forces declare total elimination of so-called caliphate and %100 territorial defeat of ISIS. On this unique day, we commemorate thousands of martyrs whose efforts made the victory possible.”

In a propaganda video published on March 21, an IS fighter defiantly claimed the “future is ours.”

Storyful has not independently confirmed the end of fighting in the area. Credit: ANHA via Storyful