The Arab-Kurdish alliance known as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) expelled most of the DAESH militants from Manbij last week, but dozens continued to put up tough resistance.
Advertisement
IS imposes a harsh and extreme version of Islam on the territory under its control, including a mandatory dress code.
Nasser Haj Mansour, of the predominantly Kurdish Syria Democratic Forces, told The Associated Press that the town of Manbij “is under full control”, adding that operations are ongoing to search for any IS militants who might have stayed behind. On Saturday, Islamic State released hundreds of about 2000 civilians they reportedly took as human shields.
In a photo posted online by Kurdish activists, a young woman defiantly uncovered her face while smoking a cigarette and flashing a victory sign.
Since surrounding Manbij in early June, the SDF has been battling ISIS for control over the city’s districts.
An image grab taken from an AFP video dated from August 12, 2016 shows Syrians walking on a street in al-Sirb neighbourhood in the northern Syrian town of Manbij as they go back to their homes after the Islamic State (IS) group withdrew from the area.Islamic State group fighters seized on August 12, 2016 around 2,000 civilians to use as “human shields” as they fled their stronghold of Manbij in northern Syria, US-backed forces and a monitor said.
“Among the civilians taken by IS there were people used as human shields but also many who chose voluntarily to leave the town due to fear of reprisals” by the SDF, Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said. The Observatory said 200 of those were killed in air strikes by the US-led coalition.
They are now able to freely shave off their beards, smoke, and women are not forced to cover up any longer.
SDF fighters had been slowly advancing on the town and nearby villages for weeks.
IS has suffered major defeats over the past months in Syria and Iraq, where the military recaptured the cities of Ramadi and Fallujah in the western Anbar province.
Advertisement
On Friday, Russian and Syrian jets pounded rebel positions in and around second city Aleppo despite a pledge by Moscow to observe a three-hour daily ceasefire to allow humanitarian aid deliveries. The battle for Aleppo, the second-largest city in Syria, has dragged on since 2012, and is among the fiercest of the Syrian civil war that has killed almost 400,000 people according to United Nations estimates. Rebels and government forces also clashed Saturday in the city, where more than 200 civilians have been killed since a rebel offensive began on July 31, the Observatory said.
