US-backed Syrian forces fighting the Islamic State group announced Tuesday they have taken control over an encampment in an eastern Syrian village where IS militants have been besieged for months, refusing to surrender.
The milestone, though significant, was not the final defeat of IS in the village of Baghouz, the last sliver of territory in Syria held by the extremists.
Mustafa Bali, the spokesman for the Kurdish-led force known as the Syrian Democratic Forces, said that however, clashes were continuing elsewhere in the village as IS militants continue to fight back.
"This is not a victory announcement, but a significant progress in the fight," Bali said in a Twitter post.
He said hundreds of wounded and sick militants were captured and have been evacuated to nearby military hospitals for treatment.
The area held by IS in Baghouz is the last pocket of territory in Syria controlled by the extremist group, which once held a vast area of Syria and Iraq, calling it an Islamic "caliphate."