News / Syria

Syrian forces inch closer to besieging Daesh terrorists in Dayr al-Zawr

Monday, 18 September 2017 3:23 PM [ Last Update: Monday, 18 September 2017 3:37 PM ]

Syrian forces begin their advance on the district of Bughayliyah, on the northern outskirts of Dayr al-Zawr city, on September 13, 2017, during their ongoing battle against Daesh Takfiri terrorists. (Photo by AFP)

Syrian government forces, backed by allied fighters from popular defense groups, have come closer to encircling Daesh Takfiri terrorists in a pocket of the strategic eastern city of Dayr al-Zawr after crossing over the Euphrates River.

“Today, Syrian government forces, reinforced by a unit of the 4th Armored Division and with the support of Russian aviation, crossed the Euphrates River in the Dayr al-Zawr region,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.

The statement added that “shock troops” had already captured several villages on the eastern banks of the river from Daesh and were making further advances eastward.

The so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) also reported that Syrian army commandos and reconnaissance units had crossed the river using a floating bridge.

“This paves the way for completely besieging the city,” the observatory’s head, Rami Abdel Rahman, commented.

Syrian army troops and their allies have sealed off Dayr al-Zawr, located 450 kilometers northeast of the capital Damascus, from three sides, but Daesh terrorists still control the eastern flank along the Euphrates River.

Syrian troops are fighting only west of the river, while US-backed militiamen from the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have waged a rival operation to the east of the Euphrates.

Dayr al-Zawr airbase starts operation for first time in a year

Meanwhile, Syria’s official news agency SANA has reported that the Dayr al-Zawr military airport has begun functioning for the first time in nearly a year.

Syrian pro-government fighters advance in the Jamiyet al-Ruwad neighborhood, on the northern outskirts of Dayr al-Zawr on September 14, 2017, during their ongoing battle against Daesh Takfiri terrorists. (Photo by AFP)

On September 9, Syrian army troops and pro-government fighters managed to break a nearly three-year siege imposed by Daesh Takfiri terrorists on the airbase.

Syrian government forces and their allies had launched a push the previous day towards the military site as part of a multi-pronged offensive to retake the entire Dayr al-Zawr from Daesh terrorists.

Daesh overran large parts of Dayr al-Zawr province, including its oil fields, in mid-2014 as it seized swathes of land in Syria and neighboring Iraq.

By early 2015, the Takfiri terrorists were in control of some parts of Dayr al-Zawr city and besieged the remaining parts, which were under government control. It is estimated that 100,000 people remain in the government-held parts of the city.

The SOHR estimates that more than 10,000 people may be living in the Daesh-held parts of Dayr al-Zawr.

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