DAMASCUS, SYRIA (2:45 P.M.) – On Monday, the US-backed ‘Syrian Democratic Forces’ (SDF) took control of a new handful of villages, thus ended the reign of ISIS in a pocket approximately 35 kilometers east of Deir Ezzor City.
With YPG-led operation Al-Jazirah Storm still in full swing, the SDF imposed full control over the villages of Daman, Al-Sukkar, Al-Khajjar, Al-Aja, Al-Heriji, and Taibat Al-Fal after pincers met on both sides of the Khabur River around noon.
According to an SDF military source close to Al-Masdar News, a total of 11 ISIS members were killed on Monday although most of the villages were abandoned without clashes. Kurdish sappers have already begun demining the newly liberated chunk of land to remove booby-traps and mines left behind by jihadist combattants.
Next up, SDF units will be rushed towards the ISIS-held town of Al-Busayrah where a few dozen militants have setup a last stand in another enclave on the eastern side of the Euphrates River.
US warplanes and advisors are heavily involved in the offensive, looking to defeat the Islamic State through support for SDF contingents.
On the other hand, ISIS released an eight minute highly graphic propaganda video on Sunday showing deadly counter-attacks against the SDF in eastern Deir Ezzor.
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