<p>The United States and Russia have agreed to a &#39;&#39;cessation of hostilities&#39;&#39; in Syria from September 12, the first day of Eid.<br />
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Both countries have also agreed to carry out joint air strikes in Syria if the ceasefire holds up for a week, AFP quoted&nbsp;Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying.<br />
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US Secretary of State John&nbsp;Kerry said if the ceasefire remained imposed for a week, the two countries would set up a common military hub to fight Islamic State and Al Nusra in Syria.&nbsp;<br />
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&quot;The United States is going the extra mile here because we believe Russia and my colleague have the capability to press the Assad regime to stop this conflict and come to the table and make peace,&quot; said US Secretary of State John Kerry.&nbsp;<br />
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The peace deal comes after marathon talks held between the two countries in Geneva.<br />
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The meeting was not without its fair share of drama as the talks were on the brink of collapse. Delays and&nbsp;uncertainties from both sides were the main reasons for the delay in agreeing to the deal.<br />
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Turkey, which launched its first major military incursion into Syria two and half weeks ago, on Saturday welcomed the deal for a ceasefire in its neighbouring country.<br />
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&quot;We welcome the agreement,&quot; the foreign ministry said in a statement.&nbsp;Provision of aid around Aleppo was key, the statement said.<br />
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The war in Syria has been raging for the last five years. It has claimed around&nbsp;300,000 lives.<br />
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(WION with inputs from agencies)</p>


The two countries came to an agreement after a day of marathon talks in Geneva

The United States and Russia have agreed to a ''cessation of hostilities'' in Syria from September 12, the first day of Eid. Both countries have also agreed to carry out joint air strikes in Syria if the ceasefire holds up for a week, AFP quoted Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying. US Secretary of State John Kerry said if the ceasefire remained imposed for a week, the two countries would set up a common military hub to fight Islamic State and Al Nusra in Syria. "The United States is going the extra mile here because we believe Russia and my colleague have the capability to press the Assad regime to stop this conflict and come to the table and make peace," said US Secretary of State John Kerry. The peace deal comes after marathon talks held between the two countries in Geneva. The meeting was not without its fair share of drama as the talks were on the brink of collapse. Delays and uncertainties from both sides were the main reasons for the delay in agreeing to the deal. Turkey, which launched its first major military incursion into Syria two and half weeks ago, on Saturday welcomed the deal for a ceasefire in its neighbouring country. "We welcome the agreement," the foreign ministry said in a statement. Provision of aid around Aleppo was key, the statement said. The war in Syria has been raging for the last five years. It has claimed around 300,000 lives. (WION with inputs from agencies)

US, Russia agree on ceasefire plan in Syria

<p>The top commander of&nbsp;Syrian militant rebel group has been killed in an airstrike in Aleppo, Syria.<br />
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Other senior members of the group may have been killed in the strike as well, Reuters reports.<br />
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It remains unknown which nation carried out the airstrike.<br />
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The death of commander Abu Omar Sarakeb, militant leader of the Army of Conquest, was announced on Twitter by&nbsp;Fateh al-Sham Front, earlier known as Al-Nusra Front.<br />
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Army of Conquest, or Jaish al-Fatah, is mainly active in the Syrian province of Idlib. Believed to be backed by Saudi Arabia and Turkey, the group is the largest&nbsp;rebel alliance in Syria.<br />
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(WION with inputs from agencies)</p>


The death of commander Abu Omar Sarakeb, leader of Syria's largest rebel alliance, was announced on Twitter

The top commander of Syrian militant rebel group has been killed in an airstrike in Aleppo, Syria. Other senior members of the group may have been killed in the strike as well, Reuters reports. It remains unknown which nation carried out the airstrike. The death of commander Abu Omar Sarakeb, militant leader of the Army of Conquest, was announced on Twitter by Fateh al-Sham Front, earlier known as Al-Nusra Front. Army of Conquest, or Jaish al-Fatah, is mainly active in the Syrian province of Idlib. Believed to be backed by Saudi Arabia and Turkey, the group is the largest rebel alliance in Syria. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Top Syrian rebel leader killed in airstrike

<p>Turkey doesn&#39;t mind joining forces with the United States to defeat Islamic State in Syria, Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.&nbsp;<br />
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Erdogan said they would do &quot;what is necessary&quot; to expel IS from its de facto capital city of Raqqa in North Syria.<br />
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Erdogan said US President Obama and he met on the sidelines of the G20 summit in China to discuss how to beat the IS.<br />
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&quot;I said &#39;our soldiers should come together and discuss, then what is necessary will be done&#39;,&quot; Erdogan told the Hurriyet Daily.<br />
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&quot;Obama wants to do something together especially on the issue of Raqqa,&quot; he said.&nbsp;&quot;I said there would be no problem from our perspective.&quot;<br />
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Deputy Prime Minister Nurettin Canikli said though the both countries favoured a joint operation, no decision has been made yet. &quot;As of now, talks between (the two) militaries are continuing,&quot; he said.<br />
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Raqqa has been an ugly crucible in the Syrian war, with IS militants taking control of the city in January 2014. The jihadists then made the city its headquarters.&nbsp;<br />
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The joint operation plan comes a few days after Turkey launched an offensive dubbed Euphrates Shield against IS in North Syria.<br />
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The Turkish forces and Ankara-backed rebel forces have succeeded in ousting the jihadists from the region.<br />
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The Turkish operation though came in for criticism as it attacked Kurdish forces who they view as terrorists.<br />
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Jarablus was the first town to be retaken on the first day of the operation. Turkey has promised to provide electricity and water to the wartorn town.&nbsp;<br />
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(WION with inputs from AFP)<br />
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Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said they would do "what is necessary" to expel IS from its de facto capital city of Raqqa

Turkey doesn't mind joining forces with the United States to defeat Islamic State in Syria, Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said. Erdogan said they would do "what is necessary" to expel IS from its de facto capital city of Raqqa in North Syria. Erdogan said US President Obama and he met on the sidelines of the G20 summit in China to discuss how to beat the IS. "I said 'our soldiers should come together and discuss, then what is necessary will be done'," Erdogan told the Hurriyet Daily. "Obama wants to do something together especially on the issue of Raqqa," he said. "I said there would be no problem from our perspective." Deputy Prime Minister Nurettin Canikli said though the both countries favoured a joint operation, no decision has been made yet. "As of now, talks between (the two) militaries are continuing," he said. Raqqa has been an ugly crucible in the Syrian war, with IS militants taking control of the city in January 2014. The jihadists then made the city its headquarters. The joint operation plan comes a few days after Turkey launched an offensive dubbed Euphrates Shield against IS in North Syria. The Turkish forces and Ankara-backed rebel forces have succeeded in ousting the jihadists from the region. The Turkish operation though came in for criticism as it attacked Kurdish forces who they view as terrorists. Jarablus was the first town to be retaken on the first day of the operation. Turkey has promised to provide electricity and water to the wartorn town. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Turkey, US sound out joint attack plan on IS

More than a week after Ankara launched the Syrian incursion, called Euphrates Shield, deploying tanks and air power to support the rebels who swept into the border town of Jarablus, Islamic State (IS) jihadists were expelled from their last positions along the Turkish-Syrian border, Turkey claimed on Sunday. &nbsp;<br />
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Asserting that his nation&#39;s forces and Syrian rebels had pushed back &#39;terrorist organisations&#39; on its southern border, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildrim said in a speech on Sunday that IS has been deprived of a key transit point for its recruits and supplies. &nbsp;<br />
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&quot;We are there to protect our border, to provide for our citizens safety of life and property, and to ensure Syria&#39;s integrity,&quot; Yildirim told.&nbsp;<br />
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&quot;We will never allow the formation of an artificial state in the north of Syria,&quot; he told a crowd in Diyarbakir, the largest city in the mainly Kurdish southeast and added, &nbsp;&quot;From Azaz to Jarabulus, our 91 km border has been completely secured.&quot;
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<h5>The news comes as Syrian government troops renewed the siege of rebel-held parts of Aleppo on Sunday while Washington and Moscow failed to reach a deal on stemming violence in the country&#39;s devastating war. &nbsp;</h5>
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The news comes as Syrian government troops renewed the siege of rebel-held parts of Aleppo on Sunday while Washington and Moscow failed to reach a deal on stemming violence in the country&#39;s devastating war. &nbsp;<br />
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Fighting under the loose banner of the Free Syrian Army, the rebels, mainly Syrian Arabs and Turkmen took charge of the frontier between Azaz and Jarablus after clearing out the Sunni hardline group, state-run Anadolu Agency said.<br />
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The conflict that has spanned for more than five years has become increasingly complex gradually involving not only regime and rebels, but international backers on both sides, Kurdish forces, jihadists and now Turkey. &nbsp;A solution to the civil war that has killed about 300,000 people and displaced millions remains elusive despite several rounds of international negotiations.&nbsp;<br />
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Meanwhile, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said earlier &quot;rebels and Islamist factions backed by Turkish tanks and warplanes&quot; had taken several villages on the Turkish-Syrian border &quot;after IS withdrew from them.&nbsp;<br />
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The operation was started by Ankara inside Syria on August 24, using tanks and war planes to back opposition fighters with special forces also providing support.<br />
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<h5>The conflict that has spanned for more than five years has become increasingly complex gradually involving not only regime and rebels, but international backers on both sides, Kurdish forces, jihadists and now Turkey.</h5>
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Turkey&#39;s success is also likely to deliver a blow to the Syrian Kurdish YPG, which has been gaining territory in Syria&#39;s north after working with the US-led coalition against the jihadist force. Ankara fears &nbsp;that gains by the Syrian Kurdish YPG will embolden militants at home. Turkey considers the YPG a terrorist organisation and an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).<br />
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President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said Turkey would not allow a &quot;terror corridor&quot; on its southern border.<br />
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With Turkey&#39;s rapid success in less than two weeks, his position looks stronger with territory in between the two Kurdish &quot;cantons&quot; of Afrin and Kobane now in the hands of Ankara-backed rebels.<br />
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(WION with inputs from AFP, Reuters)&nbsp;<br />
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'From Azaz to Jarabulus, our 91 km border has been completely secured,' Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildrim said on Sunday

More than a week after Ankara launched the Syrian incursion, called Euphrates Shield, deploying tanks and air power to support the rebels who swept into the border town of Jarablus, Islamic State (IS) jihadists were expelled from their last positions along the Turkish-Syrian border, Turkey claimed on Sunday. Asserting that his nation's forces and Syrian rebels had pushed back 'terrorist organisations' on its southern border, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildrim said in a speech on Sunday that IS has been deprived of a key transit point for its recruits and supplies. "We are there to protect our border, to provide for our citizens safety of life and property, and to ensure Syria's integrity," Yildirim told. "We will never allow the formation of an artificial state in the north of Syria," he told a crowd in Diyarbakir, the largest city in the mainly Kurdish southeast and added, "From Azaz to Jarabulus, our 91 km border has been completely secured." The news comes as Syrian government troops renewed the siege of rebel-held parts of Aleppo on Sunday while Washington and Moscow failed to reach a deal on stemming violence in the country's devastating war. The news comes as Syrian government troops renewed the siege of rebel-held parts of Aleppo on Sunday while Washington and Moscow failed to reach a deal on stemming violence in the country's devastating war. Fighting under the loose banner of the Free Syrian Army, the rebels, mainly Syrian Arabs and Turkmen took charge of the frontier between Azaz and Jarablus after clearing out the Sunni hardline group, state-run Anadolu Agency said. The conflict that has spanned for more than five years has become increasingly complex gradually involving not only regime and rebels, but international backers on both sides, Kurdish forces, jihadists and now Turkey. A solution to the civil war that has killed about 300,000 people and displaced millions remains elusive despite several rounds of international negotiations. Meanwhile, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said earlier "rebels and Islamist factions backed by Turkish tanks and warplanes" had taken several villages on the Turkish-Syrian border "after IS withdrew from them. The operation was started by Ankara inside Syria on August 24, using tanks and war planes to back opposition fighters with special forces also providing support. The conflict that has spanned for more than five years has become increasingly complex gradually involving not only regime and rebels, but international backers on both sides, Kurdish forces, jihadists and now Turkey. Turkey's success is also likely to deliver a blow to the Syrian Kurdish YPG, which has been gaining territory in Syria's north after working with the US-led coalition against the jihadist force. Ankara fears that gains by the Syrian Kurdish YPG will embolden militants at home. Turkey considers the YPG a terrorist organisation and an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said Turkey would not allow a "terror corridor" on its southern border. With Turkey's rapid success in less than two weeks, his position looks stronger with territory in between the two Kurdish "cantons" of Afrin and Kobane now in the hands of Ankara-backed rebels. (WION with inputs from AFP, Reuters)

Islamic State expelled from Turkey's Syrian border, says Ankara

More than 300 civilians have been killed in a three-week surge of fighting and bombardment in Syria&#39;s devastated Aleppo city, a monitoring group said on Saturday.&nbsp;<br />
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The battle for Syria&#39;s second city has killed 333 civilians since July 31 when rebels launched a major push to break a government siege of districts under their control.&nbsp;<br />
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The toll includes 165 civilians, among them 49 children, killed in opposition fire on the city&#39;s government-held western districts. &nbsp;Another 168 civilians died in Russian and regime air strikes and shelling on its rebel-controlled eastern neighbourhoods, the Observatory said.<br />
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Russia has been carrying out air raids in support of President Bashar al-Assad&#39;s forces in Syria since September 2015. &nbsp;Another 109 people were killed in bombardment across the rest of Aleppo province during the same period, the Britain-based monitoring group said.<br />
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Once Syria&#39;s economic hub, Aleppo city has been ripped apart by violence since mid-2012, with warplanes bombarding the east and rockets raining down on the west.&nbsp;<br />
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Air strikes pounded Aleppo&#39;s southern edges on Saturday, and the intense battles there could be heard throughout the city.&nbsp;The violence rendered the rebel route out of the city, via the southern district of Ramussa, temporarily unusable, and trucks of food and other produce could not be brought into the city, the correspondent said.<br />
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Approximately 250,000 people live in the city&#39;s eastern districts, while another 1.2 million live in its western neighbourhoods. While rebel groups are accessing the city via Ramussa, the regime is using the Castello Road to the north of the city to reach areas it controls.&nbsp;<br />
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According to the Observatory, regime forces seized territory on the city&#39;s southern edges on Saturday.&nbsp;&quot;There are a lot of clashes and air strikes, and the regime made modest advances. They are trying to reinforce their positions,&quot; Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said.&nbsp;<br />
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The Observatory, which relies on a network of sources inside Syria for its information, says it determines what planes carried out raids according to their type, location, flight patterns and the munitions involved.&nbsp;More than 290,000 people have been killed since Syria&#39;s conflict started in March 2011, and international efforts at putting an end to the war have faltered.&nbsp;<br />
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(AFP)

Once Syria's economic hub, Aleppo has been ripped apart since mid-2012, with warplanes bombarding the east and rockets firing from the west

More than 300 civilians have been killed in a three-week surge of fighting and bombardment in Syria's devastated Aleppo city, a monitoring group said on Saturday. The battle for Syria's second city has killed 333 civilians since July 31 when rebels launched a major push to break a government siege of districts under their control. The toll includes 165 civilians, among them 49 children, killed in opposition fire on the city's government-held western districts. Another 168 civilians died in Russian and regime air strikes and shelling on its rebel-controlled eastern neighbourhoods, the Observatory said. Russia has been carrying out air raids in support of President Bashar al-Assad's forces in Syria since September 2015. Another 109 people were killed in bombardment across the rest of Aleppo province during the same period, the Britain-based monitoring group said. Once Syria's economic hub, Aleppo city has been ripped apart by violence since mid-2012, with warplanes bombarding the east and rockets raining down on the west. Air strikes pounded Aleppo's southern edges on Saturday, and the intense battles there could be heard throughout the city. The violence rendered the rebel route out of the city, via the southern district of Ramussa, temporarily unusable, and trucks of food and other produce could not be brought into the city, the correspondent said. Approximately 250,000 people live in the city's eastern districts, while another 1.2 million live in its western neighbourhoods. While rebel groups are accessing the city via Ramussa, the regime is using the Castello Road to the north of the city to reach areas it controls. According to the Observatory, regime forces seized territory on the city's southern edges on Saturday. "There are a lot of clashes and air strikes, and the regime made modest advances. They are trying to reinforce their positions," Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said. The Observatory, which relies on a network of sources inside Syria for its information, says it determines what planes carried out raids according to their type, location, flight patterns and the munitions involved. More than 290,000 people have been killed since Syria's conflict started in March 2011, and international efforts at putting an end to the war have faltered. (AFP)

More than 300 civilians killed in Aleppo in last 3 weeks: Monitor

Russia today denied that one of its air raids hit a dazed and bloodied Syrian boy whose heart-wrenching photograph has drawn worldwide attention.<br />
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The defence ministry issued an official denial that it carried out a strike on eastern Aleppo on Wednesday evening when the images of four-year-old Omran were taken.<br />
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&quot;The Russian planes operating in Syria never work on targets that are inside settled areas,&quot; ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in a statement.<br />
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The photographer who shot the video for Aleppo Media Centre, a network of activists, told AFP he took the images after an air strike on Wednesday night hit the Qaterji neighbourhood in eastern Aleppo.<br />
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<h5>&quot;The Russian planes operating in Syria never work on targets that are inside settled areas,&quot; ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in a statement.</h5>
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Konashenkov said Qaterji was particularly out of bounds for Russian strikes because it adjoins two of the humanitarian corridors Moscow has opened for residents to flee.&nbsp;He branded Western media reports on Omran as a &quot;cynical exploitation&quot; of the tragic situation in eastern Aleppo and &quot;cliched anti-Russian propaganda&quot;.<br />
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He suggested the attack could have been carried out by rebels in Aleppo using homemade rockets to target roads close to the humanitarian corridors to undermine Russia&#39;s efforts.&nbsp;He also suggested however that the area where Omran was may not have been bombed at all, citing footage of unbroken windows.<br />
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&quot;If a strike really did take place,&quot; he said, &quot;it was not an aerial strike but either a gas cylinder used in large quantities there by terrorists, or a mortar shell&quot;.<br />
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Russia said Thursday that its strikes by warplanes based in Iran hit areas held by the Islamic State jihadist group in Deir Ezzor province, the third day of raids from the Hamedan base.<br />
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(AFP)&nbsp;

A minister branded Western media reports on Omran as a 'cynical exploitation' of the tragic situation, and 'cliched anti-Russian propaganda'

Russia today denied that one of its air raids hit a dazed and bloodied Syrian boy whose heart-wrenching photograph has drawn worldwide attention. The defence ministry issued an official denial that it carried out a strike on eastern Aleppo on Wednesday evening when the images of four-year-old Omran were taken. "The Russian planes operating in Syria never work on targets that are inside settled areas," ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in a statement. The photographer who shot the video for Aleppo Media Centre, a network of activists, told AFP he took the images after an air strike on Wednesday night hit the Qaterji neighbourhood in eastern Aleppo. "The Russian planes operating in Syria never work on targets that are inside settled areas," ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in a statement. Konashenkov said Qaterji was particularly out of bounds for Russian strikes because it adjoins two of the humanitarian corridors Moscow has opened for residents to flee. He branded Western media reports on Omran as a "cynical exploitation" of the tragic situation in eastern Aleppo and "cliched anti-Russian propaganda". He suggested the attack could have been carried out by rebels in Aleppo using homemade rockets to target roads close to the humanitarian corridors to undermine Russia's efforts. He also suggested however that the area where Omran was may not have been bombed at all, citing footage of unbroken windows. "If a strike really did take place," he said, "it was not an aerial strike but either a gas cylinder used in large quantities there by terrorists, or a mortar shell". Russia said Thursday that its strikes by warplanes based in Iran hit areas held by the Islamic State jihadist group in Deir Ezzor province, the third day of raids from the Hamedan base. (AFP)

Russian air strikes did not hit dazed Syrian boy in viral photo, says Russian defence ministry

Islamic State group fighters seized around 2,000 civilians to use as &quot;human shields&quot; on Friday as they fled their stronghold of Manbij in northern Syria, US-backed forces and a monitor said.<br />
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The Arab-Kurdish alliance known as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) expelled most of the IS fighters from the town last week, but a small number remained.<br />
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&quot;While withdrawing from a district of Manbij, Daesh (IS) jihadists abducted around 2,000 civilians from Al-Sirb neighbourhood,&quot; said Sherfan Darwish, spokesman for the Manbij Military Council, a key component of the SDF.<br />
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&quot;They used these civilians as human shields as they withdrew to Jarabulus, thus preventing us from targeting them,&quot; he added.&nbsp;Al-Sirb is a district in northern Manbij on the way to the IS-held border town of Jarabulus in Aleppo province near the border with Turkey.<br />
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The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which relies on sources on the ground to cover the conflict, also reported that IS had abducted around 2,000 civilians as they fled Manbij.&nbsp;It said the civilians were placed in hundreds of cars that then headed for Jarabulus.<br />
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Darwish said the civilians who were taken were residents of Al-Sirb and other districts, including a central neighbourhood known as the &quot;security quarter&quot; in the centre of Manbij.<br />
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It was not immediately clear how many jihadists fled from the town, but reports last week after the SDF forces took Manbij said that dozens of IS fighters were holed up in the &quot;security quarter&quot;.&nbsp;Darwish said that around 2,500 other civilians &quot;held captive by the jihadists were saved&quot; by the SDF.<br />
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The US-backed forces were meanwhile combing Al-Sirb on Friday for jihadists who could still be in the neighbourhood, he added.&nbsp;With air support from the US-led coalition, the SDF began its assault on Manbij on May 31, surging into the town itself three weeks later.<br />
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But their offensive was slowed by a massive jihadist fightback using suicide attackers and car bombs, before a major push last week saw the SDF seize 90 per cent of the town.<br />
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Tens of thousands of people lived in Manbij before the assault started in May.&nbsp;The United Nations has said that more than 78,000 people have been displaced since then.<br />
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Manbij had served as a key transit point along IS&#39;s supply route from the Turkish border to Raqa, the de facto capital of its self-styled Islamic &quot;caliphate&quot;.&nbsp;The Britain-based Observatory says that the battle for Manbij has claimed the lives of at 437 civilians, including 105 children, and killed 299 SDF fighters and 1,019 jihadists.<br />
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(AFP)

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the civilians were placed in hundreds of cars that then headed for Jarabulus

Islamic State group fighters seized around 2,000 civilians to use as "human shields" on Friday as they fled their stronghold of Manbij in northern Syria, US-backed forces and a monitor said. The Arab-Kurdish alliance known as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) expelled most of the IS fighters from the town last week, but a small number remained. "While withdrawing from a district of Manbij, Daesh (IS) jihadists abducted around 2,000 civilians from Al-Sirb neighbourhood," said Sherfan Darwish, spokesman for the Manbij Military Council, a key component of the SDF. "They used these civilians as human shields as they withdrew to Jarabulus, thus preventing us from targeting them," he added. Al-Sirb is a district in northern Manbij on the way to the IS-held border town of Jarabulus in Aleppo province near the border with Turkey. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which relies on sources on the ground to cover the conflict, also reported that IS had abducted around 2,000 civilians as they fled Manbij. It said the civilians were placed in hundreds of cars that then headed for Jarabulus. Darwish said the civilians who were taken were residents of Al-Sirb and other districts, including a central neighbourhood known as the "security quarter" in the centre of Manbij. It was not immediately clear how many jihadists fled from the town, but reports last week after the SDF forces took Manbij said that dozens of IS fighters were holed up in the "security quarter". Darwish said that around 2,500 other civilians "held captive by the jihadists were saved" by the SDF. The US-backed forces were meanwhile combing Al-Sirb on Friday for jihadists who could still be in the neighbourhood, he added. With air support from the US-led coalition, the SDF began its assault on Manbij on May 31, surging into the town itself three weeks later. But their offensive was slowed by a massive jihadist fightback using suicide attackers and car bombs, before a major push last week saw the SDF seize 90 per cent of the town. Tens of thousands of people lived in Manbij before the assault started in May. The United Nations has said that more than 78,000 people have been displaced since then. Manbij had served as a key transit point along IS's supply route from the Turkish border to Raqa, the de facto capital of its self-styled Islamic "caliphate". The Britain-based Observatory says that the battle for Manbij has claimed the lives of at 437 civilians, including 105 children, and killed 299 SDF fighters and 1,019 jihadists. (AFP)

Islamic State abducts around 2,000 civilians to use as 'human shields'

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