BEIRUT – The Islamic State group is calling on young men to take up arms in eastern Syria where government forces are on the march against the extremists.
In a statement distributed Thursday in Deir el-Zour province that borders Iraq, IS called on all men between 20 and 30 who are able to fight to head to mobilization offices within a week.
The call comes as the extremists have lost large parts of areas they controlled in Iraq and Syria, where they declared a caliphate in 2014.
The statement, obtained by The Associated Press from activists in eastern Syria, warns that those who do not join will be undergo questioning and possibly be punished.
