A few areas of the city have been recently freed as result of the ongoing armed clashes between Syrian forces and jihadists, he stated.
"We are in the heart of the city, clashes are going on. Although the city has not yet been completely liberated, there are very few areas controlled by jihadists. In fact, it's two blocks and a few streets. In one of the quarters, the militants have been encircled on a square of 200m2," Yunus said.
"According to our estimates, there are about 120 Daesh militants in the city. They either surrender, or will be destroyed. We hope to fully liberate the city in the coming days," he added.
A few days ago, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance of militias was reported to have taken control of strategic locations in the northern Syrian city of Manbij, which is partially held by Daesh, the SDF's press service said in a statement Thursday. It was added in the statement that SDF militia forces have also liberated Al-Tall district of the city.
"In the central part of the city there are still 4,000 civilians, including women, children and the elderly. Daesh militants use them as human shields. Because of that we can't use heavy weapons in the city, and the aircraft of the coalition doesn't carry out airstrikes on the positions of the militants. We are very careful with the lives of civilians and do our best to prevent civilian casualties," Yunus said.
Syria has been mired in civil war since 2011, with government forces loyal to President Assad fighting numerous opposition factions and extremist groups, such as Daesh, outlawed in many countries, including Russia and the United States. In late May, SDF, backed by the US-led coalition, began an offensive to retake the Syrian city of Manbij from Daesh militants.
