Syrian army withdraws from eastern city of Deir Ezzor: Monitor
AFP , Friday 6 Dec 2024
Syrian troops and their allies "suddenly" pulled out of eastern Deir Ezzor city and its surroundings Friday, Rami Abdel Rahman, who heads the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor, told AFP.
File photo: An air strike in Deir Ezzor. AFP
Their move towards Palmyra, in central Syria, came as armed groups who had launched a lightning offensive last week were at the gates of Homs city, to Palmyra's west.
Deir Ezzor province, an oil-rich region bordering Iraq, is split between Kurdish forces to the east of the Euphrates and Syrian government forces and their allies to the west.
The government-held part of Deir Ezzor near the frontier with Iraq is a key hub for Iraqi fighters.
The conflict since 2011 has killed more than half a million people.
Since fighting resumed on November 27 with the insurgents' offensive, the Observatory said 826 people, mostly combatants but also including 111 civilians, have been killed.
*This story was edited by Ahram Online.
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