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16:14, 12-Aug-2017
Syrian army pushes ISIL out of last stronghold in Homs
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The Syrian army announced on Saturday that they had taken full control of the last ISIL-held town in Homs province.
A number of ISIL militants have been killed in the town of Al-Sukhnah with their weapons destroyed, said the forces.
The Al-Sukhnah’s capture would help Syrian government troops break the ISIL siege to Deir al-Zor province near Iraq, as the town is located on the road between the ancient city of Palmyra and Deir al-Zor.
Syrian government forces successfully besieged the city last week and ISIL militants had withdrawn from the town since, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The victory declaration came after the Syrian army cleared explosive devices and roadside bombs in the city.
In the previous months, ISIL has lost control of large swathes of Syrian territories in a wide-scale military offensives carried independently by government forces backed by Russia and Iran, and by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), whose members are currently focusing on capturing the city of Raqqa from the militants.
Most areas of Deir al-Zor province are under ISIL control, while the Syrian government controls a pocket of territory in Deir al-Zor city and a nearby military base.