Syrian army recaptures 80% of last Daesh bastion: Monitor
Syria’s Army and its allies have seized more than 80 percent of Daesh’s last stronghold in the country, the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says.
The London-based group said Sunday Syrian troops re-entered Albu Kamal two days ago, taking most of it from the Takfiri group by Saturday following a huge offensive which began on Friday night.
The town in Syria’s oil-rich Dayr al-Zawr has become the scene of fierce clashes since government troops entered it a week ago and announced its liberation but then faced terrorists who had hidden in underground tunnels.
The so-called observatory’s spokesman Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP Sunday that Daesh terrorists were pushed back to the northern and northeastern sectors of the city and clashes were ongoing.
The fresh push came with heavy airstrikes and troops were advancing more “carefully” than in their previous assault to ensure their gains would not be rolled back, it said.
Syrian state television aired live footage from Albu Kamal, saying the army was preparing to “storm the remaining areas” held by Daesh in Albu Kamal’s east.
“What has most impeded the Syrian army’s advance is the large amounts of mines left by Daesh and its attempt at using families as human shields,” it said.
Albu Kamal, near the border with Iraq, was the last significant town held by Daesh in the country after a string of defeats which have put the Takfiri group on the brink of elimination in both countries.
