Syria: heavy fighting between army and IS group in central desert region
Syrian forces north of the town of Deir Ezzor in September 2017 during a battle against the IS group (illustrative image).
AFP
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Heavy fighting pits the Syrian army and its allies against the Islamic State group in the Badia Desert in central Syria.
The clashes have left at least 22 dead in both camps in the past 24 hours, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH).
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With our correspondent in Beirut,
Paul Khalifeh
The Syrian army and its allies are on the
offensive
west of the Euphrates against the Islamic State group, which is very active in this vast desert region of central Syria.
The fighting intensified on Sunday in an area between the central provinces of Homs and Hama and the province of Aleppo in northern Syria.
Russian air force provided cover for troops on the ground and carried out nearly 70 raids in 24 hours, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Syrian government troops are trying to push ISIS fighters back into the desert after increasing attacks and ambushes by jihadists near supply routes and major highways.
The Syrian army simultaneously launched operations against the jihadists south of the town of Deir Ezzor to the east.
At the same time, Lebanese Hezbollah and other pro-government militias launched an offensive around the town of al-Mayadeen, near the border with Iraq.
A dozen pro-Iranian militiamen were killed by the Islamic State group in this region last week.
Thousands of jihadists are active in these desert areas and are engaged in guerrilla actions against the Syrian army, which has lost more than 1,000 men in 18 months.
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