Syrian troops encircle Daesh pockets
beirut — Russian-backed Syrian government forces have all but encircled Daesh militants in the eastern city of Deir Al Zour, a group that monitors the war said on Wednesday.
The state-run news agency SANA said fighting was intense between the pro-government forces and the militants in the village of Al Husseiniyeh on the eastern bank of the Euphrates River, across from the remaining militant pockets in the city on the other side.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Al Husseiniyeh is the only contested village on the eastern side of the river before the militants are fully surrounded.
Russian engineers extended pontoon bridges across the Euphrates, facilitating the dispatch of reinforcements to the eastern banks of the river, where Syrian troops are closing in on Daesh militants from the west. A video by the Russian Ministry of Defense showed Russian soldiers looking on as military trucks crossed a pontoon.
Backed by Russia, Syrian forces have advanced since early September on Deir Al Zour, where the militants had besieged government troops in a military base in the north and at an air base in the south of the city. Since breaching that siege, government forces have crossed the river, bringing them in a direct race with US-backed Syrian forces who are also battling the militants on the eastern side of the river and in rural Deir Al Zour.
The race for control of territory and resources in the oil-rich province that straddles the border with Iraq has caused friction between the two sides.
US-backed fighters accused the Russian-supported government forces and Russian warplanes of targeting them. Russia warned it would retaliate after it said Syrian government troops also came under fire from the US-backed Kurdish-led forces. —