Syrian Army flattens ISIS positions, will enter Deir ez-Zor ‘within 48 hours’ – governor
RT,
4
September, 2017
“The
heroes of the army will arrive at Deir ez-Zor in 24-48 hours at the
most,”the
governor of Syria’s Deir ez-Zor province, Mohammed Ibrahim
Samra, toldReuters,
adding that the Syrian Army was only 18-20 kilometers (11-12 miles)
away from the city.
Earlier,
an elite unit of the Syrian Army, called the Tiger Forces, came
within 18 kilometers (11 miles) of the besieged city after destroying
IS (Islamic State, formerly ISIS/ISIL) terrorist positions on the
Bishri mountain chain, Al-Masdar Newsreported.
Despite
massive redeployment of fighters and military hardware by the Islamic
State terrorists from other parts of Iraq and Syria to Deir ez-Zor,
the Syrian Army, with the help of the Russian Air Force, has been
advancing toward the city on several fronts.
On Sunday, the Syrian Army attacked IS barricades on the southwestern outskirts of the city, Sana news agency reported, killing several terrorists and seizing their weapons and ammunition.The key Euphrates city of Deir ez-Zor has been under terrorist siege for two and a half years, after being cut off from government-held areas in May 2015 during the jihadists’ offensive on Palmyra. The surrounded city, alongside a neighboring military base and airfield, have since been supplied with food and ammunition via airdrops by Russian and Syrian transport planes and helicopters.
“We
carried out at dawn a successful raid against one of ISIS terrorists’
barricades in the direction of the Water Resources area through
crawling and infiltrating it and throwing several bombs when we
almost approached the area, killing all the terrorists at the
site,”one
of the soldiers told Sana.
The
Syrian Army units have also expanded control in
al-Badia, “eliminating
the last gatherings of the organization in Hreibsha area that is
located in the southwest of Deir Ezzor province.”
According
to Sana news agency, many terrorists have fled as the army is also
advancing east of al-Sukhneh toward Deir ez-Zor
.
The
Russian Defense Ministry has previously stated that breaking the
blockade of Deir ez-Zor will mark the defeat of the last capable
grouping of IS terrorists in Syria.
“ISIL
militants are still attempting to stop the advancement of the Syrian
troops by relocating to the Deir ez-Zor region armor, pick-up trucks
with high-caliber machine guns mounted on them, weapons and
ammunition. They are creating fortifications with positions for
artillery and mortars,” the
Russian Defense Ministry reported Saturday.
In
response, the Russian forces in Syria intensified airstrikes on the
jihadists, destroying their armored vehicles, tanks, artillery
positions and supply depots.
“Defeating ISIL in the Deir ez-Zor region and lifting the blockade of the city will signify a strategic defeat of the international terrorist group in Syria,” the ministry said.
“Defeating ISIL in the Deir ez-Zor region and lifting the blockade of the city will signify a strategic defeat of the international terrorist group in Syria,” the ministry said.
On
Saturday, the Russian Air Force also backed the swift actions of the
army and its allies who have liberated the town of Akerbat –
considered to be the last major terrorist stronghold in Hama province
and central Syria.
Lifting
the Deir ez-Zor blockade will “provide
Syrian armed forces and their allies with a really stable foothold in
this part of northeast Syria,” geopolitical
analyst Patrick Henningsen told RT.
The
UN’s special envoy for Syria, Steffan de Mistura, also expects all
major IS positions in Syria to fall by the end of October.
“What
we are seeing is in my opinion the beginning of the end of this war…
what we need to make sure is that this becomes also the beginning of
peace,”
de Mistura said on Friday.
“And
that is where the challenge starts at this very moment.”
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