'Operation Roundup' Launched To Clear Remaining IS Fighters In Syria

Coalition forces have launched ‘Operation Roundup’ to clear what remains of the Islamic State in Syria.

Dozens of airstrikes have destroyed IS infrastructure and killed key commanders as Syrian Democratic Forces on the ground liberate IS-controlled territory.

At its peak, 10 million people were living within its so-called caliphate after it swept across Syria and Iraq four years ago.

Thousands of its fighters have been killed since then and what remains of IS as a military force is pinned down in a small area near the Syria Iraq border.

Major General Felix Gedney, the Deputy Commander of coalition forces told a Pentagon press conference IS was now a “disintegrating force”.

He said: “It’s very difficult to estimate and therefore I can’t give you an exact number of how many [ISIS fighters] are there, except to say there’s too many.

“What we’re going to do now is clear those final areas and I can assure you by the time we’ve finished, there’ll be a lot less.

“Across Northern Syria there’s a large number of ISIS fighters being held by the Syrian Democratic Force in their detention centers.

“What we need to do now is ensure that those hundreds of foreign fighters that are being held by the Syrian Democratic Force cannot be a threat either regionally or globally in future.”