09 September, 2017
Several top commanders of the so-called 'Islamic State (IS)' group have reportedly been killed in a Russian air strike in Syria, the Russia Today reported on Friday.
Washington and Moscow have used a de-confliction communications line that extends from a United States base in Qatar to Russian command centers to warn one another of pending airstrikes in Syria, including a Russian cruise missile strike against IS from Mediterranean-based warships in June.
The Deir ez-Zor governor, Muhammed Ibrahim Samra, told RT that when the troops arrived on September 5th, "excitement was at its peak, and victory was achieved", adding that all the people in the city had been "waiting for this moment". They expanded control significantly over the areas adjoining the city.
Crossing the Euphrates River will provide the Syrian Army many advantages, including the ability to cutoff Daesh main supply line and obstruct the USA expansion into the Deir ez-Zor Governorate.
It is not the first time Khalimov is reported to have been killed on the battlefield. Until that point, food and ammunition had only been delivered to the city by air.
Syrian Arab Army troops are still working in the province to defend it from remaining Islamic State group members to restore "stability and security".
Residents in her neighborhood "prefer the regime over Daesh", she said, using the Islamic State's Arabic acronym.
She described scenes of celebration on Tuesday afternoon, as tired neighbors exchanged congratulations and fired celebratory gunshots into the air.
The militants were set to discuss ways to fend off the offensive by the Syrian forces, which were making rapid gains toward the city, which had been besieged by IS for three years.
The de-confliction zone in Deir ez-Zor was established between the USA and Russian Federation in late 2015 to separate their areas of operation in Syria and prevent inadvertent clashes between the two sides.
The advance comes as part of a months-long military push toward Deir a-Zor.
An estimated 2,500 IS fighters are thought to be in the province to defend their positions in one of the terror group's last major strongholds in Syria.
