US-backed forces in Syria said they now control Daesh's one-time capital of Raqqa, with only a few dozen militants remaining in the city, the BBC reported.

The Syrian Democratic Forces said they have retaken al-Naim square, where Daesh once held public executions.

The official declaration that the city has been recaptured is expected soon, a BBC correspondent reports.

Earlier, a convoy of local Daesh fighters and their families left Raqqa as part of a preplanned departure.

No foreign fighters were allowed to join them, the SDF said.

More than 3,000 civilians have escaped the city in recent days, according to local sources.

Source: MENA