Syrian-Russian operations target militant sites, ISIS leaders killed

Shafaq News/ The Syrian and Russian forces conducted joint operations against ISIS in the countryside of Deir ez-Zor and Tadmur, resulting in the deaths of terrorists.

The Syrian Ministry of Defense said, “In collaboration with Russian forces, the Syrian army conducted precise operations resulting in the destruction of militant sites and the deaths of numerous individuals, including leaders of the terrorist group ISIS. These operations were carried out in response to repeated attacks by armed terrorist organizations on Syrian military positions, villages, and towns.”

According to the Ministry’s statement, “the operations utilized warplanes, drones, and artillery to target terrorist headquarters, their locations, and vehicles in the countryside of Deir ez-Zor and Tadmur.”

Additionally, a unit of Syrian forces operating in rural Aleppo “successfully intercepted and destroyed several terrorist drones, preventing them from executing their intended objectives.”

Furthermore, “a terrorist group attempting to launch an attack on a military checkpoint in the countryside of Daraa was attacked by the Syrian forces, resulting in casualties among the terrorists and the confiscation of their weapons.”

In 2014, ISIS seized control of extensive areas in Iraq and Syria, with its leader at the time, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, proclaiming an Islamic caliphate that spanned territories inhabited by millions of people.

At its peak, ISIS controlled approximately a third of Syria and 40% of Iraq. However, by December 2017, it had lost 95 percent of its territory, including major cities like Mosul in Iraq and Raqqa in Syria.

Despite being defeated in Syria in March 2019, ISIS sleeper cells continue to carry out deadly attacks against Syrian army and members of the US-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.