In former IS bastion, Syrians clamour to go home In the former jihadist bastion of Hajin in eastern Syria, 50-year-old Khaled Abed shouts at the top of his lungs amid the rubble, asking why he can't go home. The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) expelled the Islamic State group from the town last month, but it has since forbidden anyone from returning to its town centre. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES