IS loses its last stronghold to Syrian army

THE Syrian army has liberated the city of Deir al-Zour, Islamic State’s last major stronghold in the country, state TV says.

Army spokesman General Ali Mayhoub described the victory as the ‘last phase’ in the military’s campaign for complete annihilation of the extremist group in Syria.

Deir al-Zour, on the west bank of the Euphrates river, was significant to IS due to its proximity to the border with Iraq. IS designated the area on both sides of the border its ‘Euphrates Province’ and used it to transfer fighters, weapons and goods between the countries.

The recapture of Deir al-Zour, an oil-rich province, means IS has now lost more than 90 per cent of the territory it once held in Iraq and Syria in 2014 and 2015. It comes as Iraqi forces enter the town of Qaim, one of the last urban areas under IS control on the other side of the border.