US-backed forces liberate strategic village from ISIS terrorist group in east Syria

The Kurdish-led, US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Tuesday took control of a strategic village in the Deir Ezzor province in the country’s east, further driving out the Islamic State (IS).

In an online statement, the SDF said they liberated the village of Ash-Shajlah on the northern bank of Euphrates River, near the border with Iraq.

“After three days of fierce fighting, our forces managed to liberate Ash-Shajlah village and drive out the terrorists, seizing large weapons and ammunition,” the SDF statement read.

Five IS militants were killed in the clashes in the village, the SDF statement added.

Two weeks ago, the SDF launched a widescale operation on Hajeen, the last remaining town held by IS, and have so far advanced about ten kilometers toward its target.

The SDF organized the assault on two axes: on Baghuz Fawqani toward As-Shajla from the east, and on Sousah village from the north.

“The international coalition against Daesh actively participated in the fight, with five raids on the Sousah axis targeting the movements of Daesh militants, and destroyed their headquarters as well as an ammunition depot,” the SDF statement added.

Regarding the casualties over the past two weeks, the SDF claimed to have killed 40 IS militants and taken control of 28 military points with the support of 20 coalition airstrike raids.

Last month, the SDF drove out IS militants from Syria’s eastern border with Iraq, covering areas from both the Hassakeh and Deir Ezzor governorates, in a coordinated operation with the US-led coalition and Iraqi army.

IS militants now control less than three percent of Syria and are mostly present in the vast Badiya desert, which lies between Damascus and the Iraqi border.

Source: Kurd 24