Syrian army liberates city of Deir Ezzor from ISIL terrorists

The Syrian army, with the support of Russian allies, has taken the city of Deir Ezzor from the terrorist group Islamic State (IS), the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) stated on Thursday, reports the Patria agency.

An official source has not yet confirmed the information, but Syrian state media had previously reported significant army advances in the city in the east of the country, the center of an oil-rich province bordering Iraq.

Regime forces and their allies, with the support of Russian aviation, have taken full control of the city of Deir Ezzor, adds SOHR, based in Great Britain.

- Clashes have ceased, demining operations are underway - said SOHR director Rami Abdel Rahmane.

SOHR and Syrian official media had previously reported that Damascus regime units had captured three more neighborhoods from the jihadists.

A military source stated that they now control 80 percent of the city.

Syrian regime forces, with the support of Russian aviation, have been leading an offensive in the city since September to retake neighborhoods from the extremist group, after breaking the siege that the jihadists had imposed on government sectors, which had been surrounded for three years.

The capital of the province of the same name is located on the west bank of the Euphrates River. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), supported by the US-led international coalition, began their attack on Islamic State in that province in September, advancing along the east bank of the river.

The strategic importance of this city for Islamic State stemmed from its location near the border with Iraq, where the group also controlled territory, as well as its importance as the capital of an oil-producing province.