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Syrian army, allied militia gain ground against ISIS

BEIRUT -- Syrian troops and allied militia have pushed back Islamic State militants and U.S-backed opposition fighters, gaining control of a large swath of territory in the country's strategic southern desert, the government-controlled media and a war monitor said Saturday.

 

With the new advances, the government and allied troops secured an area nearly half the size of neighboring Lebanon. The strategic juncture in the Syrian desert also restores government control over mineral and oil resources. The gains aid government plans to go after IS in Deir el-Zour, one of the militants' last major stronghold in Syria. The oil-rich province straddles the border with Iraq and is the group's last gate to the outside world.

 


פרסום ראשון: 05.27.17, 19:13