Syrian army breaks ISIL siege on Deir al-Zour

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Syrian government forces broke the siege of the eastern city of Deir al-Zour on Tuesday as they reconnected with troops that ISIL had surrounded for years, Syrian state television reported.

"The Syrian Arab Army has advanced on the Brigade 137 base front on the western side of Deir al-Zour city and broken the siege imposed by the Daesh organisation," state news agency SANA said.

The Syrian national flag was raised when the advancing troops met with the besieged forces in the base.

File photo: Syrian Commander-in-Chief of the army and armed forces and Defense Minister, Lieutenant General Fahd Jasem al-Freij (2nd R), walks among other officers during a visit to the city of Aleppo on August 9, 2016. /AFP Photo

The Syrian forces have been advancing from two directions to break the siege on the city, where 93,000 civilians have been under siege since 2015.

The government forces have been advancing from the southern countryside of Raqqa, passing the Bishri mountain, which has been recently captured by the army.

The other attacking forces have been advancing from the city of al-Sukhnah in the desert in the eastern countryside of Homs province.

The first group coming from Bishri mountain is the one who broke the siege on the base and thus technically ended the siege on the city.

Around 5,000 Syrian soldiers were trapped in the base, and once united with the attacking troops, they will then move toward the air base of Deir al-Zour, which is also under ISIL siege.

Deir al-Zour is important for ISIL due to its proximity to Iraq and the oil fields in the area.

For the Syrian army, breaking the siege and capturing all ISIL-held areas of Deir al-Zour will help in securing the border with Iraq and retrieving the oil fields to shore up the crumbling energy sector in the war-torn country.

A member of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a US backed Kurdish-Arab alliance, holds a position in Raqa on September 4, 2017. /AFP Photo

But the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are also planning to take eastern parts of Deir al-Zour from ISIL, as the United States sees an interest in that area.

The SDF is also fighting ISIL in the northern city of Raqqa, the de facto capital of ISIL. And with the advance of the Syrian army toward Deir al-Zour, the Kurdish-led SDF are feverishly trying to win as much land as possible in Raqqa to prove it's capable of scoring a victory against ISIL.

On Monday, two Russian soldiers were killed by ISIL shelling near Deir al-Zour. The Russian air force is heavily striking ISIL positions there to pave the way for the ground forces to enter the city.

Meanwhile, the Syrian government said it had prepared truckloads of aid to enter the city.

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency