DEIR EZ-ZOR (Syria), (Sputnik) — Syrian army units launched an offensive on the part of the city of Deir ez-Zor controlled by militants of the Daesh terrorist group (banned in numerous countries), a RIA Novosti correspondent reported from the scene Tuesday.
Terrorists, for their part, are delivering mortar fire and attempted to attack detachments of the Syrian army with three mined vehicles with suicide attackers at the wheel, the correspondent said.
The successful Deir ez-Zor operation was the biggest breakthrough against Daesh since the terrorist group first launched an offensive in the province. The terrorists had been blockading Deir ez-Zor since 2014, with food and other supplies only being airlifted into the city. The group also took control over a large swath of the province of Deir ez-Zor and cut off roads to government-held districts.
Syria's Deir ez-Zor province was the largest hotbed of the most combat-ready units of the Daesh terrorist organization (banned in Russia). Terrorists of the so-called caliphate's initial goal was to take over the northern province of Syria and its administrative center.
Deir ez-Zor was not a random choice. There are large oil and gas deposits in the province, as well as a significant number of state-owned factories. Now, Deir ez-Zor is attracting the remaining terrorist forces from all over Syria, mainly from Daesh's self-proclaimed capital of Raqqa.
