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About 400 Islamic State militants have been captured trying to escape the last piece of land the group holds in Syria, a US-backed militia says.

A Syrian Democratic Forces commander said the jihadists were caught overnight as they attempted to slip out of Baghuz with the help of smugglers. Hundreds of others have surrendered and been evacuated from the village with thousands of civilians in recent days.

It comes after US forces and the SDF stepped up their bombardment of Baghuz. Once the village is taken, the US and its allies are expected to formally declare the end of the «caliphate» proclaimed by IS in 2014.

The group once controlled 88,000 sq km (34,000 sq miles) of territory stretching across Syria and neighbouring Iraq, imposed its brutal rule on almost eight million people, and generated billions of dollars from oil, extortion, robbery and kidnapping.

After five years of fierce battles, local forces backed by world powers have driven IS out of all but a few hundred square metres near Syria’s border with Iraq. Last Friday, the SDF said it had launched its final assault on Baghuz, declaring that nothing remained in the village «except for terrorists».

After a weekend of intense air and artillery strikes, the alliance said it had to slow down the offensive «due to a small number of civilians held as human shields».

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Home Secretary Sajid Javid has met police chiefs from seven forces most affected by violent crime.

The meeting followed a spate of fatal teen stabbings which has prompted debate about falling police numbers.

Durham’s Chief Constable Mike Barton said he was «heartened» by the meeting while the chief constable of Merseyside Police said the talks were «very good».

Ahead of the meeting, spokespeople from a number of police bodies called for funding for more officers. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick has said there is «obviously» a link between violent crime and falling police numbers. But Prime Minister Theresa May has insisted there is «no direct correlation».

Senior officers from the Metropolitan Police, Merseyside, Greater Manchester, West Midlands, South Wales, South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire attended the meeting, as did representatives of the National Crime Agency and National Police Chiefs’ Council.

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New satellite images of North Korea suggest it is restoring a rocket launch site it had pledged to dismantle, say analysts.

The images were taken two days after talks between the leaders of the US and North Korea ended without them reaching a deal on denuclearisation.

The Tongchang-ri site has been used for satellite launches and engine testing, never for ballistic missile launches. Work to dismantle it began last year but stopped as the US talks stalled. The pledge to dismantle it had been seen as a confidence-building measure between Pyongyang and Washington.

Meanwhile, the US has warned North Korea could face yet more sanctions should Pyongyang not take steps to denuclearise. The satellite evidence, coming from several US think tanks and testimony from the South Korean intelligence service, appears to show rapid progress has been made in rebuilding structures on the rocket launch pad at the Sohae site at Tongchang-ri.

Images last July appeared to show the North had begun to dismantle the site.

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Counter-terror police are investigating three packages containing explosives found at Heathrow Airport, London City Airport and Waterloo station.

The «small improvised explosive devices» were found in A4 postal bags, the Metropolitan Police said.

The Met’s Counter Terrorism Command is treating it as a «linked series» and «keeping an open mind regarding motives». No-one has been hurt, the force added.

The Compass Centre in Heathrow’s grounds was evacuated after a package was reported to police at about 09:55 GMT.

The package has since been «made safe», the Met said.

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The home secretary has condemned the «senseless violence» that has seen a rise in the number of teenagers being stabbed to death across the UK.

Sajid Javid was speaking after the murders of a 17-year-old girl in east London and a boy, also aged 17, in Greater Manchester at the weekend. He will meet police chiefs on Wednesday to look at ways to combat violence.

Figures show the number of children in England aged 16 and under being stabbed rose by 93% between 2016 and 2018.

Mr Javid said: «We’re taking action on many fronts… It is vital that we unite to stop this senseless violence. «Young people are being murdered across the country, it can’t go on.»

Former Metropolitan Police Commissioner Lord Hogan Howe, said the government should appoint a leader, or tsar, to «get a grip» on the problem, and that person should be in charge of how money is spent — especially on recruitment — not individual forces. «I’d want to know, week after week, when are you recruiting them? When do they they arrive? When do they get trained? And when do they hit the streets?» he said. «You want to know day-by-day what’s going to get delivered. And I don’t get that sense of grip.»

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