Syrian Democratic Forces may declare victory over Islamic State in a week – commander

The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces will announce a final victory over Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) in one week, SDF commander-in-chief Mazloum Kobani has said. “We will announce the complete victory over [IS] in a week,” Kobani told a group of SDF fighters who were freed from the last IS enclave near the Iraqi border. A video statement was released by the SDF media center on Thursday. It was not clear when the footage was filmed, Reuters said. The SDF announced on Thursday it had freed 24 of its fighters from the militant group.