Syrian army, allies take back Albu Kamal from Islamic State

BEIRUT: The Syrian army and its allies took complete control over Albu Kamal, Islamic State´s last significant town in Syria, a military news service run by Hizbullah said on Sunday. The army had declared victory over Islamic State in Albu Kamal earlier this month but the Jihadists then staged a counter-attack using sleeper cells hidden in the town.
Driving Islamic State from Albu Kamal means only a few villages along the Euphrates and patches of nearby desert, as well as isolated pockets in other parts of the country, remain in Syria of the caliphate it declared in 2014. Most of the forces battling Islamic State in Syria and Iraq have said they expect it to go underground and turn to a guerrilla insurgency using sleeper cells and bombings. Western intelligence agencies have said it will still be able to inspire attacks on civilians around the world. "The Syrian Army and its allies in the axis of resistance have expelled Daesh from its last stronghold on Syrian soil," the Hizbullah news service reported. The "axis of resistance" is used by those in it to describe the alliance of Iran, Syria and militias including Hizbullah.