IS loses most of enclave, SDF sees defeat 'very soon'

DEIR AL-ZOR PROVINCE, Syria - US-backed Syrian forces said they were close to defeating the Islamic State group in its final scrap of territory at Baghouz in eastern Syria after seizing an encampment from the jihadists on Tuesday, though the battle was not over yet.

Hardened militant IS fighters holed up in the encampment had been mounting a last-stand defense of the Baghouz enclave, which is all that remains of terrorists group's self-proclaimed "caliphate" that once spanned one-third of both Syria and Iraq.

"This is not a victory announcement, but a significant progress in the fight against Daesh," said Mustafa Bali, a media official with the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, on Twitter, using an Arabic acronym for the IS group.