Manbij: Town that was 'Little London' for Isis jihadis riddled with IEDs in wake of retreat

Manbij, the city that was formerly the home of Jihadi John and earned the moniker 'Little London' because of the number of British Islamists living there at the height of Isis power, has been left riddled with IEDs and booby traps in the wake of the Daesh retreat, according to reports.

The Daily Beast has reported that left bombs and other devices behind in the city's hospitals in the wake of the rebel advance which liberated Manbij on 13 August.

Fighters with the Syrian Democratic Forces, aligned with the west and fighting alongside US and British Special Forces in the area, told the news website volunteers had been killed by the traps. One of the SDF volunteers explained how one of his commanders lost an eye and both his legs in an explosion.

Manbij in northern Syria was liberated by the SDF alliance of Kurdish and Arab militia, after more than two years in the grip of the Islamist terror group.

More than 2,000 residents of the city have also been set free, and are celebrating their newfound freedom by burning their burqas and shaving off their beards.

The fighters engaged in 73 days of intense fighting in order to drive Isis (Daesh) out of the town, which is situated close to the border with Turkey. A spokesperson for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said that Isis militants had finally fled the city on Friday, leaving behind 2,000 hostages who had been used as "human shields".

An estimated 500 of the extremists and civilians loyal to the terror group are believed to have fled the town in cars and other vehicles towards the Isis-controlled town of Jarablus in the north.