Fighters who overthrew al-Assad claim control of Syria’s Deir Az Zor city
Al Jazeera
Commander Hassan Abdul Ghani said the city and its military airport are fully ‘liberated’.
Fighters in Syria who have overthrown former President Bashar al-Assad say they have taken full control of the eastern city of Deir Az Zor, after clashes with Kurdish-led forces who briefly held it after pro-government soldiers fled.
Commander Hassan Abdul Ghani, spokesman for the advancing forces, announced the takeover of Deir Az Zor in a post on Telegram saying the city and its military airport are fully “liberated”.
In a follow-up statement on Wednesday, Ghani said the fighters “are continuing to advance in the areas and towns of Deir Az Zor countryside”.
The capture is the latest in a string of victories for the coalition of opposition forces who seized several cities – including the capital, Damascus – in an 11-day blitz.
On Sunday, al-Assad fled the country after the rebel forces, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Shams (HTS), closed in on Damascus.
