Smoke on the Euphrates: Syrian Army Decimates Daesh in Deir ez-Zor

Dozens of terrorists were killed and many more wounded after the Syrian forces fully retook a key route linking the al-Tim oilfield to the city of al-Mayadin in Deir ez-Zor, FARS quoted sources as saying.

The advance came shortly after the Syrian Army and the NDF attacked Daesh strongholds based in two neighborhoods in the city of Deir ez-Zor with the help of the government forces' artillery units, sources said. 

Syria has been mired in a civil war since 2011, with forces loyal to the country's President Bashar Assad fighting a number of opposition factions and extremist groups, including Daesh and the al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front, which have been blacklisted as terrorist organizations by many countries, including Russia.

In February 2015, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2268, endorsing a Russia-US agreement on the cessation of hostilities in Syria, shortly before the ceasefire came into force on February 27.

Between September 30, 2015 and March 14, 2016, the Syrian Army's anti-terror efforts were backed by an extensive Russian air campaign. During that period, more than fifty Russian warplanes, including Su-24M, Su-25 and Su-34 jets, executed precision airstrikes on Daesh and al-Nusra Front targets in Syria at the behest of President Assad.

Moscow will, however, maintain a military presence in Syria, although a deadline for a complete pullout has not yet been announced. Putin also indicated that Russian forces will remain at the port of Tartus and Hmeymim Airbase in Latakia.