SDF claims to launch last offensive to defeat ISIS in Syria

The US-backed and PKK-affiliated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) says they have begun the final push to defeat the ISIS in the last pocket it holds in eastern Syria.

SDF's spokesman, Mustafa Bali, tweeted that the offensive began Saturday after more than 20,000 civilians were evacuated from the ISIS-held area in the eastern province of Deir ez-Zoor.

After saving more than 20K civilians from IS-held area and ensuring their safety in nearby camps, #SDF started to move on to the last village remaining under jihadists’ control in N. Syria. Village of Baghuz, which is the only remaining #ISIS pocket, will be cleared soon.

— Mustafa Bali (@mustefabali) February 9, 2019

Reports say that ISIS terrorists have attacked US-backed fighters near an oil field in the country's east, triggering airstrikes by the US-led coalition.

Monitoring groups say 12 ISIS gunmen attacked the SDF and clashed with them for several hours until most of the attackers were killed early Saturday.

Other activist collectives, including the Step news agency, reported the attack, saying some of the attackers used motorcycles rigged with explosives.

The SDF launched its offensive to end the ISIS presence in Syria in September, a battle that left hundreds of fighters dead on both sides. The SDF has driven ISIS from large swaths of territory it once controlled in northern and eastern Syria, confining the extremists to a small pocket of land near the border with Iraq.