Islamic State calls young men to arms in eastern Syria

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 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.

This frame grab from video released Thursday August 3, 2017 and provided by Hawar News Agency, a Syrian Kurdish activist-run media group, shows US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters patrolling on a street in the northern city of Raqqa, Syria. (AP Photo)

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.