Syrians, Iraqis oust IS from key towns along border

DAMASCUS, Syria — Syrian troops ousted Islamic State extremists Friday from Deir el-zour, a major city in eastern Syria, while Iraqi forces retook Qaim, the group’s last big town across the border in Iraq, in simultaneous assaults that dealt further territorial losses to the retreating militants.

With their self-proclaimed “caliphate” crumbling, the extremists have lost almost all their urban strongholds in Syria and Iraq.

The defeats left the Syrian town of Boukamal as the only urban area still completely under IS control, along with scattered pockets of territory along the Syria-iraq border.

Syrian troops backed by Russia and Kurdish-led forces supported by the United States are now racing toward Boukamal from opposite sides of the Euphrates River, triggering concerns that a proxy showdown could ensue between the two sides.

Both the U.S. and Russia have embedded special forces with their respective partners and are supporting their advances with airstrikes. Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov, a spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry, said six TU-22M bombers struck IS targets near Boukamal, while two Russian submarines in the Mediterranean launched six cruise missiles at IS targets.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that shelling from the Iraqi side of the border hit the small Syrian town of Abughaz, near Boukamal. Civilians were forced to flee, but no casualties from the shelling were reported, the Britain-based group said.

“With the loss of Deir el-zour, Daesh loses its ability to lead terrorist operations by its militants, who are now isolated and encircled in the eastern countryside of the city,” Gen. Ali Mayhoub said on Syrian TV.