Civilians evacuated from last enclave held by Islamic State militants in Syria

A convoy of trucks carrying hundreds of civilians has left the last enclave held by Islamic State militants in eastern Syria, signalling a possible end to a standoff that has lasted for more than a week.

The tiny enclave on the banks of the Euphrates River is the final scrap of territory left to the extremist group that only a few years ago controlled a vast stretch of territory across Syria and Iraq - at one point nearly from Aleppo to Baghdad - aspiring to create an enduring and expanding jihadi state.