Russian air strike kills 200 Daesh militants in Deir Ez-Zor

Russian air strikes on a military convoy heading for Deir ez-Zor in western Syria are reported to have killed over 200 Daesh fighters and destroyed military vehicles and weapons belonging to the terrorist group.

The Russian defence ministry confirmed the attack in a statement today: “The Russian Air Force destroyed another large column of ISIS [Daesh] fighters that was heading to the area of the city of Deir ez-Zor, where international terrorists are trying to regroup and equip their last base in Syria.”

The statement, which was reported by Russian news agencies, further noted that “more than 200 militants” had been killed while destroying “heavy vehicles with ammunition”.

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It’s thought that the militant group was mobilising its forces around Deir ez-Zor after it was expelled by Syrian ground forces and the Russian air force from the southern province of Raqqa and west of Homs province.

The statement did not say when the strike took place but the Syrian Observatory For Human Rights (SOHR) reported that an air raid was carried out in the region yesterday. SOHR did not confirm whether it was Russian planes that carried out the attack or details of the casualties.

Earlier this month Syrian government forces seized full control of the last major town in Homs province that was held by Daesh, which is only 50km from Deir ez-Zor. Many who fled towns retaken by Syrian forces redeployed in Raqqa, Deir Ez-Zor and desert areas of the country.