Syria army breaks IS siege on Deir Ezzor
DAMASCUS: Syria’s army broke a yearslong Islamic State (IS) group siege on the government enclave of Deir Ezzor city, entering into a military base, state media said.
“The Syrian Arab Army has advanced on the Brigade 137 base front on the western side of Deir Ezzor city and broken the siege imposed by the Daesh organisation,” the state news agency SANA said yesterday, using the Arabic acronym for IS.
Syrian government troops and allied fighters, backed by Russian air support, have been advancing for weeks towards Deir Ezzor city, capital of oilrich Deir Ezzor province, which borders Iraq.
Government forces and tens of thousands of civilians in the city have been trapped under IS siege for over two years, facing food and medical shortages.
Early this year, the governmentheld parts of the city were cut in two by an IS offensive.
The army’s advance to the Brigade 137 base yesterday broke the siege on the northern part of the city, to which it is linked by a road.
But a southern governmentheld section, including the key military airport, remains surrounded.
Government forces are heading towards the southern sector, however, and are currently around 15km away, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britainbased monitor.
Around 100,000 people are believed to be inside governmentheld areas of Deir Ezzor, with perhaps 10,000 more in parts of the city held by IS.