DAMASCUS 23 Mar (ANA) - The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) says the Islamic State group's five-year "caliphate" is over after the militants' defeat in Syria.

SDF fighters have been raising victory flags in Baghuz, the last stronghold of the jihadist group.

But as celebrations began there were also warnings that IS remains a major global security threat.

The jihadists retain a presence in the region and are active in countries from Nigeria to the Philippines.

At its height, IS controlled 88,000 sq km (34,000 sq miles) of land stretching across Syria and Iraq.

After five years of fierce battles, though, local forces backed by world powers left IS with all but a few hundred square metres near Syria's border with Iraq.

The SDF alliance began its final assault on IS at the start of March, with the remaining militants holed up in the village of Baghuz in eastern Syria.

The alliance was forced to slow its offensive after it emerged that a large number of civilians were also there, sheltering in buildings, tents and tunnels.

Thousands of women and children, foreign nationals among them, fled the fighting and severe shortages to make their way to SDF-run camps for displaced persons.

Many IS fighters have also abandoned Baghuz, but those who stayed put up fierce resistance, deploying suicide bombers and car bombs. 

"Syrian Democratic Forces declare total elimination of so-called caliphate and 100% territorial defeat of Isis [the IS group]," Mustafa Bali, the head of the SDF media office, tweeted on Saturday.(ANA)

FA/ANA/23 March 2019--------