Islamic State begins quitting last pocket of Syria’s capital

Beirut, May 20 

Islamic State group fighters began evacuating their final stronghold in southern Damascus today, a monitor said, bringing Syria’s government closer than ever to flushing out the last threat to the capital.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has used a combination of military pressure and evacuation deals in recent months to recapture territory around the capital from his armed opponents.

Last month, troops and allied Palestinian militia launched a fierce offensive to oust IS from a cluster of districts in southern Damascus, including the Palestinian camp of Yarmuk.

After weeks of combat and heavy casualties, an apparent deal was reached for remaining IS fighters to leave Yarmuk and the adjacent district of Tadamun, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. IS jihadists burned their headquarters in Yarmuk before boarding buses with their relatives to leave the area. — AFP