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Syrian army takes last IS stronghold of Deir ez-Zour

Photo: AFP/Getty Images

 

The Syrian army has retaken Deir ez-Zour, the last major stronghold of so-called Islamic State (IS) in Syria, the BBC reports.

“The city is completely liberated from terrorism,” the state TV report said.

Other reports said the Syrian army and its allies were clearing the last pockets of resistance from IS.

IS had held most of the city since 2014. It was of strategic importance to IS because of its proximity to the border with Iraq.

Earlier the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based activist group, said government forces had taken control of the city after weeks of fighting.

The militant group is now confined to just a few pockets in Deir ez-Zour province. Some 350,000 civilians in the province have been forced to flee their homes.

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