A general in charge of the operation told Sputnik that "in the coming days, we will raise the Syrian flag in the skies of Deir ez-Zor". The troops are eliminating the last pockets of Daesh resistance. The army has broken the Daesh blockade of the local airbase.
9 September 2017, 07:40 GMT
The operation to break the siege of Deir ez-Zor, which lies 140 km south east of Raqqa, began after four months of planning and preparation in the wake of the completion of the operation to liberate east Aleppo in January. This operation ended serious rebel activity in western Syria, allowing pro-government forces to turn their attention to the east across the country's desert region into Daesh heartlands.
On September 7, a source told Sputnik the US Air Force had evacuated Daesh field commanders from Deir ez-Zor. The US-led coalition denied the claims.
Russia has sent humanitarian aid to the city, but there has been none from the West.
