Amid talk of a never-ending exodus of civilians from underground in the Syrian village of Baghouz, the Kurdish SDF is waiting on a final push into the last ISIS-held village. The US, however, is not so patient.
On Monday, US warplanes attacked Baghouz, killing at least 50 people. Details on what the intended target was is unclear, but the reports suggest that the dead were mostly women and children.
The attack came after the latest deadline set by the SDF for ISIS to surrender passed on Sunday, but with many thousands having left the village in the past few days, the SDF seemed fine just extending the deadline and getting more people out.
In the past few months, US airstrikes backing the SDF offensive have killed hundreds, if not thousands, of civilians. With thousands of civilians still believed to be in Baghouz, the US strikes are undermining the SDF’s effort to convince them to leave, by showing that those who try to leave may be targeted.