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Syrian army, allies break three-year siege in Deir ez-Zor city – state TV Syrian army, allies break 3-year ISIS siege in Deir ez-Zor city – state TV
(35 minutes later)
he Syrian army linked up on Tuesday with troops that Islamic State had encircled for years in the eastern city of Deir al-Zor, breaking the siege, state media said. The Islamic State blockade of Deir er-Zor has been breached by Syrian government forces, Syrian state television and activist groups reported on Tuesday. The jihadist group has blockaded the provincial capital for almost 3 years.
READ MORE: Deir ez-Zor: Why city’s liberation is so important to crush ISIS
DETAILS TO FOLLOW The government troops defending the city and those advancing from the west have met, Syrian media reported.
The garrison of Deir ez-Zor has been holding out against Islamic State forces in rural parts of the governorate, sustained by airdrops of crucial supplies.
An estimated 93,000 civilians remain under the protection of Damascus’ forces within the city limits.
In the past few days, the advancing government forces have repeatedly moved swiftly to break through jihadist lines.
READ MORE: Strategic defeat of ISIS in Syria imminent – Russian MoD
The Deir ez-Zor governorate is located in the western part of Syria on the border with Iraq and is one of the few remaining pockets of territory remaining under the control of Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL). Moscow, which supports Damascus’ offensive against the jihadist groups, believes the full lifting of the siege of the provincial capital will amount to the strategic defeat of IS in Syria.