Islamic State militants have withdrawn from their last stronghold in Syria following a government offensive, a war monitor said.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said government forces and allied troops, including Iraqi fighters, are combing Boukamal, a strategic town on the border with Iraq, on Thursday after IS militants withdrew.
Syrian pro-government media said Syrian troops had clashed with remnants of IS militants in the town after they entered it late on Wednesday. On Thursday, they declared the town totally free of the militants.
The fall of Boukamal means remaining IS militants are currently holed up in small towns and villages along the border with Iraq and in the Syrian desert.