A major military operation is now being completed in the eastern part of Syria. The Syrian army backed by the Russian Air Force is conducting an offensive along the Euphrates River. The ISIS militants are defeated. Our war correspondent Evgeny Poddubny is following the combat on the ground. He's the only journalist who got into the recently liberated city of Abu Kamal. Here's what he saw there.
Evgeny: The government forces soldiers always celebrate their victories like this, but the liberation of Abu Kamal isn't just another ordinary victory, but a landmark historic event. The flag of the Syrian Arab Republic is waving over Abu Kamal for the first time in a long time. Few would have believed it possible a couple of years ago. Damascus didn't seem to have enough forces to recapture most of the country's territory. But with the support of the Russian aviation and military advisers, the victory became possible. The flag in Abu Kamal is said to be seen from all Syrian cities.
Evgeny: The main body of the pseudo-Caliphate was driven from Abu Kamal more than a week ago. About 2 days ago, separate groups of terrorists, who showed local resistance, were completely eliminated. There are still no civilians in the streets. People fled the city as soon as it became possible when the government forces began the operation to liberate Abu Kamal. The city was controlled by terrorists for several years, and was considered the last stronghold of the so-called Islamic State in Syria. Now that the Syrian Army liberated Abu Kamal, in fact, we can say that the terrorist group is defeated in the Syrian Arab Republic. Of course, the militants are still showing resistance in the desert and near the Euphrates, but the elimination of these ISIS terrorists is, objectively speaking, a matter of time.
Mohamed is one of few Abu Kamal citizens who didn't abandon their homes. He says that during the city assault, pseudo-Caliphate propagandists arrived here.
Mohamed: Muslim priests told the militants that they had to retain the city at any cost. The Muslim terrorists tried to muster the support of the locals but in vain. My son has been serving in the Syrian Army for a long time, so we were looking forward to our liberation. The assault didn't damage the city infrastructure that much, especially, if compared to what remains of Raqqa after it was liberated from the terrorists by SDF units backed by the aviation of the so-called Western coalition. High-precision munition was used in the assault here. The terrorists lost most of their equipment and heavy weaponry on Abu Kamal's fringes.
The ISIS terrorists did not just lose their last city in Syria, they lost their logistics center, which allowed the pseudo-Caliphate to move troops, munitions, and food across the Syrian-Iraqi border.
Evgeny Poddubny, Ruben Mirobov, and Stanislav Yelovsky for Vesti from Abu Kamal, Syria.
