11 December 2016, 12:47 GMT
The Russian Defense Ministry’s reconciliation center cited intelligence data that showed that Daesh terrorist group had moved up to 5,000 fighters to the cities of Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor from the Iraqi stronghold of Mosul.
At the same time, the reconciliation center reported that Daesh had moved considerable forces from their stronghold of Raqqa after the US-backed offensive of Arab and Kurdish rebels was stalled. More forces and equipment were relocated from the vicinity of Deir ez-Zor.
The Iraqi operation to liberate Mosul, which was occupied by Daesh (ISIL or the Islamic State) terrorist group (outlawed in Russia) in June 2014, has been ongoing since October 17. The offensive is led by Kurdish Peshmerga fighters and Iraqi soldiers backed by the US-led anti-terror coalition.
