Suspected Islamic State group members, including foreign fighters, sat in a long line in a field of bright yellow flowers, exhausted and hunched over as they were questioned and searched Thursday by U.S.-led coalition members and Kurdish fighters.
They were the latest group to surrender from the besieged final pocket of Syrian territory held by the militant group.
The men were separated into three groups -- Syrians, Iraqis and other nationalities. The SDF has besieged Baghouz since September, but the fight has been slowed because of the enormous number of civilians who have surfaced in the tiny shred of territory on the banks of the Euphrates River in eastern Syria -- well over 10,000 have filtered out over the past two weeks.
"What we are seeing now is not the surrender of as an organization but a calculated decision to preserve the safety of their families and preservation of their capabilities," said Gen. Joseph Votel, adding that the insurgents are going underground in remote areas, "waiting for the right time to resurge."
Many Yazidis, followers of a minority faith, are still missing five years after IS militants stormed Yazidi towns and villages in Iraq's Sinjar region and abducted women and children. Women were forced into sexual slavery and boys were taken to be indoctrinated in jihadi ideology. Last month, Iraq's President Barham Saleh said that all IS militants who committed crimes against Iraq will be put on trial, including 13 suspected French militants who have been transferred to Iraq from Syria.
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