ISIS recaptures strategic city of Abu Kamal from Syrian Army
According to Iranian news agency Fars, citing the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights as a source, troops loyal to Bashar al-Assad’s regime were forced to retreat from the city of Abu Kamal because of strong pressure from ISIS militants.
The news agency indicates that fighting continues in the vicinity of Abu Kamal, where the government army and military groups from Hezbollah are attempting to organize a counteroffensive.
The Russian media reported that Abu Kamal, which was considered the last stronghold of ISIS in Syria, was freed by the government army on November 8. Assad’s troops and troops from Iraq participated in the assault.
At the beginning of this week, Russian troops provided active support to the Syrian army near Abu Kamal. Russian Aerospace Forces struck at positions of the militants. In addition, missiles were launched at terrorist command posts from the submarine Kolpino.
Government forces together with Shiite volunteers managed to break through to Abu Kamal during the offensive along the border with Iraq. Meanwhile, forces advancing from Deir ez-Zor in the north are still several dozen kilometers from the area.
Later, a representative of Russian forces in Syria denied reports that the Syrian military allegedly left the city of Abu Kamal to ISIS.
“All reports, including those from foreign sources, which say that Syrian troops abandoned the city of Abu Kamal are unfounded propaganda. The city has been under the control of Syrian troops and militia units since last Friday,” RIA Novosti reported him as saying.
He also noted that the city and its suburbs are now being thoroughly searched. “The centers of resistance of the residual groups of terrorists and lone fighters are being neutralized in order to begin demining areas in the city in the near future,” said the representative of Russian forces in Syria.