The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and the Syrian Republican Guard (SRG) have successfully entered the important village of ash-Sholah and took control of it after a firefight with ISIS units, according to pro-government sources.
Ash-Sholah is located at the strategic Sukhna-Deir Ezzor highway and if the SAA and the SRG are able to secure it from ISIS attacks, they will be able to use the village as a launching pad for a push towards the Panorama Junction in southern Deir Ezzor.
The government advance is ongoing amid intense airstrikes by Russian and Syrian warplanes. Russian attack helicopters provide a close air support to the government assault force.
Earlier today, the Russian Defense Ministry said that Russian warplanes have killed ISIS’ minister of war, Gulmurod Khalimov, and other field commanders near Deir Ezzor. This could impact the ISIS ability to defend its positions inside and outside the city.
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BEIRUT, LEBANON (1:15 A.M.) – The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) has liberated a major town in the western countryside of Deir Ezzor Governorate that is situation along the M20 highway.
According to military sources, the SAA, led by the elite 800th Regiment of the Republican Guard and pro-government Shaitat tribal fighters liberated the strategic town of Ash-Shula this morning after a brief firefight with Islamic State militants.
The town is situated about 20 kilometers from Deir Ezzor’s Panorama roundabout and is the last major town along the M20 highway to the west of the city,
One SAA source has commented that the Syrian Army should reach the Panorama roundabout in the next 24 hours.
ISIS MINISTER OF WAR IS ELIMINATED BY RUSSIAN AIRSTRIKES – RUSSIAN MOD
08.09.2017
Gulmurod Khalimov
The Russian Aerospace Forces have destroyed an ISIS command center and a communication hub eliminating about 40 ISIS members, including the terrorist group’s minister of war, Gulmurod Khalimov, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Friday.
The ISIS facilities were located near the city of Deir Ezzor. In total, 4 ISIS commanders were killed in the air strike.
“It has been confirmed that there are four important field commanders among the eliminated militants, including the so-called ‘Emir of Deir ez-Zor’ [Deir Ezzor] Abu Muhammad al-Shimali, who was responsible for financial affairs and the transfer of recruits to the IS [ISIS] training camps. It has also been established that the so-called ‘minister of war’ of the Islamic State terror group, Gulmurod Khalimov, was present at the meeting and died of fatal wounds,” the ministry said.
Khalimov was a former special forces commander of the Tajik Interior Ministry. In May 2015, he and six his soldiers defected to ISIS.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, it received info about the expected ISIS meeting on Spetember 5.
“Militant envoys and important field commanders planned to discuss the current situation and outline emergency measures to be taken given the Syrian government forces’ rapid offensive towards the city [Deir Ezzor]. After the information was confirmed and additional reconnaissance was carried out to better define the targets, two Russian warplanes – a Sukhoi Su-34 and a Sukhoi Su-35 – were scrambled from the Hmeimim air base, which delivered a precision airstrike dropping bunker-busting bombs.”
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