Hundreds of Daesh Militants Remain in Manbij Amid Offensive - Pentagon

Hundreds of Daesh militants are still inside the northern Syrian city of Manbij as the Syrian Democratic Forces backed by the US-led coalition try to recapture the city, Operation Inherent Resolve spokesperson Army Col. Christopher Garver said on Wednesday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Syrian Democratic Forces troops have seized some of the outer roads to cut Daesh terrorists off from potential reinforcements and supplies, but Garver said fighting around the city remains "significant."

"We’ve seen estimates of hundreds of Daesh fighters still in Manbij and they are continuing to defend the city," Garver told reporters in a press briefing.

Garver said there are indications the terrorist group may be holding "large groups of civilians as hostages" and forcing them to fight for them.

Daesh terrorists are using machine guns, indirect fire and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in the fighting, he added.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Operation Inherent Resolve reported that the US-led coalition had conducted six airstrikes near Manbij on Tuesday, hitting Daesh tactical units and destroying five of the group’s fighting positions.