US-backed forces drive out Islamic State from Syrian-Iraqi border in east Syria

QAMISHLO (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdish-led, US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Wednesday said they had fully driven out the Islamic State (IS) from Syria’s eastern border with Iraq in a coordinated operation with the US-led coalition and Iraqi army.

“The campaign, launched from Shadadi and Al-Hol towns, liberated 71,360 km2 of land along 191 kilometers near the Iraqi border, including the strategic town of Dashisha,” the SDF said in an online statement.

The SDF in May launched an operation on Dashisha, a strategic IS-held town on the border with Iraq

The city fell in June, and the operation resumed toward remaining pockets, including rural areas of both the Hasakah and Deir al-Zor governorates.

The SDF affirmed they had driven out the IS from the border area in coordination with the Iraqi army.

“Our forces met with Iraqi forces on the border and liberated the entire desert of Deir al-Zor,” the SDF statement read.

The SDF made sure to highlight the support provided by the US-led coalition in their latest operation.

“The International Coalition fought in the air and ground effectively, carrying out dozens of air strikes targeting terrorist movements, targeting heavy artillery fortifications and also carrying out surface-to-surface missile attacks,” the SDF statement added.

CASUALTIES

The SDF claimed to have killed 418 IS militants within their three-month offensive in eastern Syria.

“Our fighters managed to kill 418 terrorists, including 16 emirs, and captured 29 others,” SDF statement noted.

Regarding SDF casualties, reportedly, 4 SDF fighters lost their lives, and 22 were wounded.

The SDF also stated they seized large amounts of weapons, ammunition and armored vehicles.

With the liberation of the border area in eastern Syria, IS militants are now contained to the strategic town of Hajin in the Deir al-Zor countryside on the Euphrates River.

Editing by Nadia Riva