Syrian army takes control of Deir al-Zour from ISIL

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The Syrian government regained complete control over the eastern city of Deir al-Zour from ISIL, Syrian state television reported on Friday.

"The army announces full control of Deir al-Zour," state television said in a breaking news alert, citing sources on the ground in the city.

The Syrian army launched its attack against ISIL there in September, backed by Russian air strikes and fighting alongside Iran-backed militias and the Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah.

Members of Deir al-Zour military council which fights under the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) seen in Deir al-Zour Province, Syria, August 25, 2017 /Reuters Photo

ISIL had held most of the city since 2014, except for one large pocket where Syrian army troops and 93,000 civilians had been holed up for three years.

The provincial capital is located on the western side of the Euphrates River. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), backed by the US-led coalition, launched their own attack on ISIL in the province in September, advancing along the eastern side of the river.

The city's strategic significance for ISIL stemmed from its location near the Iraqi border, where the group also controlled territory, as well as its importance as the oil-producing province's capital.

The recovery of the eastern province's capital underscores Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's re-established control over the eastern part of the country.

A still image taken from a video footage released by Russia's Defense Ministry on October 10, 2017, shows missiles hitting what the ministry said were ISIL militants' positions in Deir al-Zor Province, Syria. /Reuters Photo

As the army has pushed east in recent months, oil and gas fields have once more fallen to the government, as well as to the SDF.

ISIL still controls parts of Deir al-Zour Province, its territory extending across the border to neighboring Iraq where Iraqi forces are waging a separate offensive against the militant group.

ISIL also controls a small pocket in Hama Province in western Syria, and a besieged enclave south of capital Damascus where it is fighting rebel factions.

The Syrian army is also advancing on Albu Kamal in Deir al-Zour Province, located on the Iraqi-Syrian border. Russian bombers struck ISIL targets in the border town on Thursday, RIA news agency reported.

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Source(s): AFP ,Reuters