Rappler's latest stories on Syrian Democratic Forces
Kurdish forces start Syria-Turkey border pullback
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports that the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces have pulled out of some areas at the eastern end of the border
More than 100 Islamic State prisoners have escaped in Syria – US envoy
'We would say the number is now over 100. We do not know where they are,' James Jeffrey, the State Department point man on Syria
Turkey outlines 'safe zone' plan ahead of key deadline
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, meanwhile, accuses Western countries of 'standing by terrorists' in failing to support Turkey's operation
Syria Kurds defend key town as Turkey ignores U.S.
(3rd UPDATE) Syria's regime dispatches more troops to the northeast to contain Ankara's advance – their most significant deployment in the Kurdish-controlled region since they started withdrawing from the area in 2012
U.S. slaps sanctions on Turkey as Syrian regime returns to north
The actions come hours after regime troops returned for the first time in years to parts of northeastern Syria, invited by Kurdish fighters desperate for protection as the United States pulls out
Syria regime steps in to halt Turkish assault on Kurds
(UPDATED) Washington says it is planning to pull out 1,000 troops – almost the entire ground force – from Syria's north, in a move welcomed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as 'a positive approach'
Turkey to begin Syria offensive 'shortly' despite mixed U.S. signals
Istanbul sends more armored vehicles to the border with Syria, with a large convoy of dozens of vehicles seen in the Turkish town of Akcakale
Syria's Kurds call for international court to try ISIS jihadists
(UPDATED) In this way, 'trials can be conducted fairly and in accordance with international law and human rights covenants and charters,' the Syria Kurdish administration says
Jihadists emerge from tunnels to surrender after 'caliphate' falls
(UPDATED) An AFP reporter says he saw dozens of people – mostly men – file out of the battered jihadist encampment in the remote village of Baghouz near the Iraqi border to board pickup trucks
Philippines hails fall of last ISIS territory
But the Philippines, where ISIS influence persists, says the fight 'is not over'
LOOK: The day the ISIS 'caliphate' fell
Fighters of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces raise their yellow flag in Baghouz and pronounce the death of the Islamic State group's nearly five-year-old 'caliphate'
U.S.-backed Syrian forces fight last ISIS jihadists
Though the WHite House says the 'caliphate' has been wiped out, the Syrian Democratic Forces say clashes are still ongoing
Syria force combs last ISIS hideouts in Baghouz
Syrian Democratic Forces spokesman Mustefa Bali says a victory announcement would be premature
Syria's Kurds criticize Damascus 'threats'
Syrian Defense Minister Ali Abdullah Ayoub says his government will recapture all areas held by the Syrian Democratic Forces 'in one of two ways: a reconciliation agreement or...by force'
Syria force says 'thousands' still inside last ISIS pocket
Tens of thousands of dishevelled women, children and men have streamed out of a small pocket in the village of Baghouz near the Iraqi border in recent weeks – and they still keep coming
Anti-ISIS Syria force boosted as jihadist holdout shrinks
The country's devastating conflict enters its ninth year with more than 370,000 dead
U.S.-backed Syria force pummels last ISIS bastion
The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces have since March 10 rained fire on the enclave in a bend of the Euphrates River, blitzing thousands of ISIS members into surrender
More surrenders from ISIS Syria bastion as end nears
Airstrikes and shelling have pummelled Baghouz for two nights in a row, killing scores of fighters and prompting hundreds of jihadists and their relatives to surrender
In Syrian riverside camp, ISIS clings to last scrap of 'caliphate'
The Syrian Democratic Forces are waiting for all civilians to be evacuated before moving in to retake the last scrap of ISIS-held territory
Syria force to resume evacuations after piercing last ISIS redoubt
The latest evacuees also include relatives of jihadists, as well as civilians who had been held by the group as 'human shields'
Syria's Kurds set free nearly 300 ISIS-linked Syrians
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said it was not the first release of ISIS-linked prisoners by Kurdish authorities, but the number was particularly large this time
Syria force poised for final assault on ISIS
The Syrian Democratic Forces estimates the number of people inside the last ISIS redoubt at anything from a few hundred to several thousand
Syria forces try to free last civilians from ISIS holdout
(UPDATED) Security officials in Iraq say the Syrian Democratic Forces has handed over 130 Iraqi jihadists to Iraq on February 21, but SDF spokesman Mustefa Bali denies the claim
Convoy plucks women, children from last ISIS holdout in Syria
Around 15 trucks carrying men, women, and children have exited the last patch of ISIS territory in eastern Syria, according to Agence France-Presse correspondents
Syria jihadists trapped in last square kilometer
'The fighting is fierce,' says Adnan Afrin, a spokesman for the Syrian Democratic Forces
ISIS defends last Syria redoubt, as family members flee
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says the Syrian Democratic Forces fighters are making painstaking progress
U.S.-backed Syrian forces battle to take last ISIS pocket
More than 4 years after the extremists declared a 'caliphate' across large parts of Syria and neighboring Iraq, several offensives have whittled that proto-state down to a tiny holdout
Kurd-led forces overrun last ISIS-held village in Syria – monitor
(UPDATED) 'Search operations are continuing in Baghouz to find any IS fighters who are still hiding,' says Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights
Suicide attack on Kurdish-U.S. convoy in Syria 'kills 5'
The assault, claimed by ISIS jihadists, comes less than a week after another deadly attack on US forces in Syria, and a month after Washington announced a US troop pullout from the war-torn country
ISIS counterattack in east Syria leaves 32 dead
Using the bad weather as a cover, the Islamic State group launches a vain but deadly counter-attack against Kurdish-led fighters
Trump plans full withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria
The US president tweets: 'We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency'
U.S.-backed forces retake ISIS hub in east Syria – monitor
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says the Syrian Democratic Forces have secured Hajin, the largest settlement in what is the last pocket of territory controlled by the Islamic State group
Anti-ISIS coalition raids kill 43 in east Syria
Seventeen children were among 36 IS family members killed in Abu Husn village of Deir Ezzor province near the Iraqi border, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says
ISIS suffers heavy Syria losses despite Kurd pause – monitor
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says waves of US-led air strikes since Monday, November 5, have killed 48 jihadists, including during two ISIS assaults on oilfields north of the Hajin enclave
Hundreds taken by ISIS from displacement camp in east Syria
A number of fighters of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces dies trying to defend the camp in a battle that lasted several hours
Kurds eye decentralized Syria in talks with government
(UPDATED) The Syrian Democratic Forces alliance says it it has agreed with the government to form joint committees and forge a 'roadmap leading to a democratic and decentralized Syria'
German jihadist tied to 9/11 attacks caught in Syria – Pentagon
Mohammad Haydar Zammar has been accused of recruiting some of the September 11 Al-Qaeda hijackers who carried out attacks on Washington and New York, killing almost 3,000 people
Fight against Islamic State evolves following battlefield wins
'The future of the coalition is trying to share – radically share – information and intelligence in a way that makes sense,' says Terry Wolff, Deputy Special Presidential Envoy for the US-led coalition
11 Turkish troops killed in deadliest day of Kurdish offensive in Syria
The fatalities follow Turkey sending troops and launching air strikes against Kurdish militia in Northern Syria
2 British ISIS 'Beatles' fighters captured in Syria – U.S. official
Alexanda Amon Kotey and El Shafee el-Sheikh are believed to have 'participated in the detention, exploitation and execution of Western detainees'
US-led strikes kill 100 pro-regime personnel in Syria – military
The strikes were to counter an 'unprovoked attack against well-established Syrian Democratic Forces headquarters,' the US Central Command says
U.S.-backed forces seize major Syria oilfield
The Al-Omar oilfield in the province of Deir Ezzor had been a key source of income for the ISIS, reaping revenues up to $5.1 million per month
Fighters in Syria's Raqa prepare for civilian handover
Raqa's capture leaves the jihadists with little remaining territory in Syria, most of it in neighboring Deir Ezzor province, where some SDF fighters are already headed to carry on the campaign
Forces comb ghost city Raqa after ISIS ouster
US-backed forces comb the ruins of Raqa for survivors and bombs after retaking the Syrian city from Islamic State (ISIS) group jihadists
ISIS loses emblematic Syria stronghold Raqa
The victory caps a battle of more than 4 months for Raqa, and hammers another nail in the coffin of the jihadist group's experiment in statehood
'Final phase' of battle for Raqa as ISIS fighters leave
US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces militia says the last phase of the fighting would 'end the presence of the terrorist mercenaries inside the city'
Dozens of IS fighters surrender as Raqa's fall nears
The city's loss would be a new blow for IS, which has already been driven from its strongholds in Iraq including second city Mosul
Civilians in ISIS-held Raqa under fire 'from all sides' – Amnesty
Residents trapped in the Syrian city of Raqa face the threat of air strikes and intense artillery fire
U.S.-backed forces breach ISIS defenses in heart of Syria's Raqa
3rd UPDATE The landmark advance in ISIS s notorious Syria bastion comes as the jihadists face an expected defeat within days in Iraq s second city Mosul
The week in photos: June 24-30, 2017
This week s selection of photo highlights here and around the world
