The battle for the last Islamic State stronghold in Syria appeared to be in the final phase today as Kurdish soldiers of the Syrian Democratic Forces moved towards the centre of Baghuz.
Fighting has been unexpectedly fierce in the assault that started on Saturday. Thousands have fled the town, with many fugitive IS fighters thought to have been among them.
Some 600 diehards were reported to have made their last stand in the past 48 hours.
Commanders of coalition forces said they believe more than a dozen foreign prisoners could still be held by IS in Baghuz, including western hostages.
President Donald Trump has been expected to declare, once again, victory over IS, and to reveal more details about his pledge to return 2,000 US ground troops in Syria. The battle for Baghuz has been tougher than US advisers and commanders with the SDF expected.
They have used repeated air strikes, including a B-1B bomber, and the IS fighters have baffled reconnaissance flights by using burning tyres and oil to cover the battle area in dense smoke.
Iraq is preparing to receive up to 20,000 refugees from the Baghuz area, and recognise that IS militants are among them.
The IS caliphate declared by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in Mosul in June 2014 might be over as a physical chunk of territory, but the movement itself is far from dead.
Its tentacles have reached into Iraq, Egypt and across North Africa. Al-Baghdadi was believed to have survived an attempted coup last month by diehard militants, with foreign fighters among them.
