Inside the final bloody battle to wipe ISIS off the face of the Earth with last terror stronghold predicted to fall within HOURS
The once mighty death cult empire in Syria faces total annihilation in a tiny pocket of land which is less than one per cent of the area it once controlled
ISIS face being finally routed in Syria within hours as fighters supported by British and US special forces close in for the kill.
The battle is on today to clear the village of Baghouz, where the remnants of the infamous death cult are holed up in fortified positions.
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Black plumes of smoke rise above the battle zone in and around the village of BaghouzCredit: Reuters
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How times of changed... ISIS control has waned away into nothing
The once mighty ISIS, which once controlled swathes of Iraq and Syria, is now reduced to a small area of about two square miles with hundreds of jihadist facing dying in vain.
About 20,000 civilians have been evacuated from the area in the eastern province of Deir-el-Zour over the past few weeks to clear the way for a no holds barred onslaught.
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, with help from US and British special forces, have made the advances over the weekend and are continuing today.
Above US-led coalition drones are helping troops on the ground by giving a top down perspective of the battle to commanders on the ground.
Occasionally warplanes have been dropping huge bombs after being called in by SDF troops, according to reports.
'UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER OR DEATH'
SDF spokesman Mustafa Bali said: "We will launch an attack to end the Daesh (ISIS) presence or they will turn themselves in.
“There are no other options for them. We confirm there are no negotiations and no intention to have negotiations.”
The shadowy leader of ISIS, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi had been holed up in the stronghold but had been shepherded to safety in January after a coup against him was foiled.
His exact whereabouts is unknown.
US President Donald Trump predicted Wednesday that the Islamic State group will lose by next week all the territory it once controlled in Iraq and Syria.
That would mark the end of a four-year global war to end the extremist group's territorial hold over large parts of Syria and Iraq where the group established its self-proclaimed "caliphate" in 2014.
We will launch an attack to end the Daesh (ISIS) presence or they will turn themselves in — there are no other options for them
SDF spokesman Mustafa Bali
But activists and residents say ISIS still has sleeper cells in Syria and Iraq and is laying the groundwork for an insurgency.
And it is feared the terror group could stage a comeback if the military and counter-terrorism pressure on it is eased.
The SDF, backed by the US-led coalition, has defeated Islamic State across a swathe of northern and eastern Syria.
After driving the jihadists from their Syrian headquarters at Raqqa in October 2017, the SDF advanced southwards into Deir al-Zor province.
Jihadists have been attacked in territory on the eastern bank of the Euphrates River.
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Civilians have been evacuated for the area to clear the way for the massive assaultCredit: Getty Images - Getty
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An SDF soldier takes up position on a roof top ready to mow down ISIS troops should they flee their under fire positionsCredit: Getty Images - Getty
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Huge artillery pieces have been pounding ISIS positionsCredit: Getty - Contributor
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