Syria’s army and its allies have encircled Islamic
State in the city of al-Mayadin, southeast of Deir al-Zor, in eastern
Syria, a Syrian military source said on Sunday.
Al-Mayadin
is one of the last strongholds of Islamic State as it falls back upon
the fertile area downstream of Deir al-Zor in the Euphrates valley and
launches counter attacks in the central desert after losing swathes of
territory this year.
"Units of our armed
forces with the allied forces continue their advance on a number of
fronts and axes in Deir al-Zor and its countryside... and encircle Daesh
terrorists in the city of al-Mayadin,” the military source said.
The
army and its allies reached Deir al-Zor in September after a
months-long offensive across the Syria desert, and have in recent weeks
pushed down the Euphrates towards al-Mayadin.
However,
counter attacks by Islamic State in the central desert region have put
pressure on the main supply road to Deir al-Zor from western Syria.
Syrian
President Bashar al-Assad is backed in the war by Russia, Iran and
Shi‘ite militias including Lebanon’s Hezbollah, and its campaign against
Islamic State has mostly been on the west bank of the river.
A
U.S.-led coalition is also supporting a rival campaign against the
jihadists, mostly on the east bank, where it is close to recapturing
Raqqa, and has also advanced downstream to hold areas opposite Deir
al-Zor.
U.S. officials have previously said
that Islamic State had relocated some of its diminished command and
propaganda structures to al-Mayadin as it was forced from territory
elsewhere.
