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Pentagon says captured Islamic State fighters hooked on drugs

Syrian Democratic Forces have found an increasingly desperate detachment of militants using drugs, including amphetamines, to keep themselves in the fight.
A banner belonging to Islamic States fighters is seen during a battle with member of the Syrian Democratic Forces in Raqqa, Syria August 16, 2017. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra - RTS1C16D

Encircled on all sides by US-backed Syrian rebels and cut off from municipal services in Raqqa, captured Islamic State (IS) fighters are showing increasing signs of malnutrition and drug use.

Among a handful of IS fighters who have surrendered in the Old City, where some 2,500 militants remain, Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have found track marks indicating the use of amphetamines. Leaders of the US-led coalition to defeat IS in Iraq and Syria say the condition of IS fighters shows the increasing desperation of militants to keep themselves awake and in the fight.

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