U.S.-backed forces in Syria declare victory over ISIS

The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) liberated the last area in Syria controlled by Islamic State (ISIS) on Saturday. ISIS militants made their final stand in a tent camp in Baghuz, which was bombed to shreds. “Baghuz is free and the military victory against [ISIS] has been achieved,” tweeted Mustafa Bali, a spokesman for the Kurdish-led SDF. Saturday’s bombing ended weeks of heavy fighting in Baghuz and brings to a close a caliphate ISIS established in large areas of Syria and in Iraq in 2014.