The Syrian Kurdish-led forces on Monday took full control of Islamic State-held city of Tal Abyad in northern Syria.
The Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), backed by air strikes by the U.S.-led coalition, drove out Islamic State militants on Monday evening after days of fierce fighting.
"The whole city is under our control and there is no more fighting," said Huseyin Kocher, a Kurdish YPG commander, according to BBC. "Our people should know that we are going to clean all the remnants of IS in northern Syria," he said.
The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed the YPG had almost full control of Tal Abyad, around 50 miles from Raqqa, reported AFP.
"Coming here is very risky, you cannot lift the siege, you cannot reach to the area because of the flight of the coalition warplanes over the area; do not cast yourselves into destruction for us and let us face our destiny here. We come for Shahada [martyrdom]," an IS commander said, according to Middle East Eye.
The border city of Tal Abyad is one of the major avenues for commerce for the Islamic State group. It is a key link between Turkey and its self-proclaimed capital Raqqa, according to Al Manar.
With Tal Abyad in YPG control, the Islamic State lost a key supply line and the jihadist group is deprived of a direct route for smuggling foreign militants, selling black-market oil as well as supplies, according to the Associated Press.
Several Syrian groups, however, accused the YPG of commiting "ethnic cleansing" against Sunni Muslim Arbs and Turkomen. The Kurdish militia strongly denied the allegations, according to Japan Times.
The clashes between YPG and the Islamic State have forced more than 5,000 Syrian refugees to cross into Turkey, officials said.
"[Five-thousand, two-hundred ninety-one] people, who entered Turkey, were registered today. [One-thousand, four-hundred thirteen] of the refugees are women while 2,287 are children," the Turkish government said, according to Anadolu Agency.
