Kurdish-led forces recapture key IS stronghold in eastern Syria

DAMASCUS - The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Friday succeeded in capturing the entire town of Hajin, one of the last Islamic State (IS) strongholds in eastern Syria, a war monitor reported.

After an intense fight, the SDF dislodged the IS militants from Hajin in eastern Deir al-Zour province, as part of a wide-scale offensive launched by the SDF with the backing of the US-led coalition, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The battles for Hajin ratchet up over the past 48 hours and the IS militants failed to stand in the face of the SDF despite their attempts to blow up suicide car bombings to keep the Kurdish-led forces from advancing.

The SDF had previously lost the town to the IS during the US-backed dragging campaign on the eastern bank of Euphrates River, which started on Sept 10.

Since then, 911 IS militants and 531 SDF fighters have been killed in the last IS-held pocket in eastern Deir al-Zour, the observatory said in a report on Thursday.

The recent advance of the Kurdish-led groups came as Turkey, a key opponent of the Kurdish influence in northern Syria, said that there will be a campaign against "terrorists" in the eastern Euphrates region.

"It is time to realize our decision to wipe out terror groups in the east of Euphrates," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday.

"We will start the operation to clear the east of the Euphrates from separatist terrorists in a few days," Erdogan added, referring to the territory held by the Kurdish militias.

The Kurdish self-administration in northern Syria issued a statement on Thursday, calling for mass mobilization in areas under its control and urging the Syrian government to respond to Erdogan's remarks.