Abandoned tents, vehicles and foxholes to hide from airstrikes are all that is left from evacuated parts of the Islamic State group's last shred of territory in Syria.
Last Updated Friday, March 8, 2019 1:18PM EST
Hundreds of IS fighters, along with thousands of civilians, mostly family members, have evacuated the IS-held area after the SDF alternately applied military pressure and allowed time for evacuees to come out. In the last two weeks, many fighters appeared to be among those evacuating. The video obtained by AP was shot on Wednesday by a fighter from the People's Protection Units, or YPG, the main Kurdish militia which is part of the Syrian Democratic Forces. It showed abandoned tents and vehicles, foxholes in which to hide from airstrikes, weapons and other items left behind by the extremists.
Following that operation, thousands of residents and many fighters evacuated Baghouz over the next four days. But on Friday, only a small group came out, raising speculations that a renewed military offensive was being planned. The aid group International Rescue Committee said at least 6,000 women and children arrived from Baghouz to al-Hol displaced people's camp on Thursday alone, bringing the total of evacuees over two days to 12,000. The camp, IRC said, has reached "a breaking point," with over 55,000 arriving there since December.
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