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BAGHOUZ, Syria – As the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) begin their final push into the Islamic State (ISIS) holdout in Baghouz, eastern Syria, Rudaw spoke to the last civilians and suspected fighters to emerge from the besieged village.
Among the last people to surrender ahead of the SDF’s advance is a suspected ISIS emir from Bosnia. He refuses to talk, holding up a hand and shaking his head at the camera.
Next to him are ISIS militants’ wives. They are being screened for affiliation, intelligence, and weapons.
Many are found hiding electronic devices and papers. Others have concealed firearms. None of them appear to be natives of this area. The bulk of them are foreigners, speaking various languages.
As the SDF advanced in recent days, they uncovered potential evidence of mass executions. The victims are feared to be Yezidi slaves held captive for the last four years.
“ISIS kidnapped a lot of Yezidi women and children,” SDF spokesperson Lilwa Abdulla told Rudaw.
“During our advances, we liberated 200 children and women. In the meantime, we discovered a large number of Yezidi women’s bodies. We do not have a specific number of Yezidis here. Dozens were seen under ISIS here,” she added.
Although a large number of civilians and ISIS members have fled, hundreds have chosen to make a last stand against advancing Kurdish forces.
Among the last people to surrender ahead of the SDF’s advance is a suspected ISIS emir from Bosnia. He refuses to talk, holding up a hand and shaking his head at the camera.
Next to him are ISIS militants’ wives. They are being screened for affiliation, intelligence, and weapons.
Many are found hiding electronic devices and papers. Others have concealed firearms. None of them appear to be natives of this area. The bulk of them are foreigners, speaking various languages.
As the SDF advanced in recent days, they uncovered potential evidence of mass executions. The victims are feared to be Yezidi slaves held captive for the last four years.
“ISIS kidnapped a lot of Yezidi women and children,” SDF spokesperson Lilwa Abdulla told Rudaw.
“During our advances, we liberated 200 children and women. In the meantime, we discovered a large number of Yezidi women’s bodies. We do not have a specific number of Yezidis here. Dozens were seen under ISIS here,” she added.
Although a large number of civilians and ISIS members have fled, hundreds have chosen to make a last stand against advancing Kurdish forces.
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