The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Wednesday that ISIS terrorists had killed 700 of the 1,350 prisoners they were holding in their ever-shrinking territory in Syria.
ISIS is hold up to the east of Syria’s Euphrates River around the town of Hajin, which U.S.-backed forces entered this month. Chances are, they were having trouble feeding so many prisoners along with the 5,000 ISIS fighters left in the region. Although their numbers are small comparatively, it appears that they are planning on fighting to the death.
This news comes on the heels of the president’s announcement that we are pulling our troops out.
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), led by the Kurdish YPG militia, has battled Islamic State there for several months with the help of U.S. air power and special forces.
SDF commander-in-chief Mazloum Kobani said last week that at least 5,000 IS fighters remain holed up in the enclave, including many foreigners who appear ready to fight to the death.
Islamic State’s self-proclaimed caliphate has crumbled after different offensives across Iraq and Syria, though its fighters still operate in the desert border region and mount attacks.
It comes as more than 200 mass graves containing the remains of thousands of people have been discovered in Iraq in areas formerly under the control of Islamic State (ISIS) militants according to the United Nations.
The UN firmly condemned the extremist group’s indiscriminate and widespread campaign of violence, which it says may amount to war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.
The bodies found inside the graves are believed to be the victims of the radical Sunni group, who between June and December 2014 seized large swathes of northern Iraq and declared it part of their so-called “caliphate”.