Idlib, Syria, is once again in the spotlight following reports that the Islamic State (IS), beset by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Baghouz in eastern Syria, is seeking passage to the jihadi-held province in the northwest.
An SDF commander in Deir ez-Zor, commenting on the siege on Baghouz, told Russia’s Sputnik, “[IS], which is against the wall, asked to go to Idlib and toward the Turkish border. We rejected this request.” Agence France-Presse also reported Feb. 18 that IS fighters sought safe passage to Idlib but had been turned down.