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Fight Against Last Vestige of ISIS in Syria Stalls
(New York Times) Eric Schmitt - An American-backed military offensive has stalled against the Islamic State's last vestige in eastern Syria. Booby traps, land mines and a militant counterstrike during a fierce sandstorm that grounded American planes have knocked the coalition back on its heels. And last week, the Syrian Democratic Forces, the Kurdish-led militia that is fighting the Islamic State with American help, suspended operations after Kurdish positions farther north were shelled by Turkey. The SDF has lost 327 fighters since September, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Islamic State still attracts about 100 new foreign fighters to the region each month, Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in October.