Putin, in telegram to Syria's Assad, hails 'strategic' Deir al-Zor victory
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MOSCOW – Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent a telegram to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, hailing the breaking of the siege of Deir al-Zor by Syrian government troops, the Kremlin said on Tuesday.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a conference call with reporters that Putin had hailed the breakthrough as "a strategic victory" over Islamic State militants.
Street-to-street fighting was now underway in Deir al-Zor, Peskov said.
