Fighters in Syria who have overthrown former President Bashar al-Assad say they have taken full control of the eastern city of Deir Az Zor, after clashes with Kurdish-led forces who briefly held it after pro-government soldiers fled.
Commander Hassan Abdul Ghani, spokesman for the advancing forces, announced the takeover of Deir Az Zor in a post on Telegram saying the city and its military airport are fully “liberated”.
In a follow-up statement on Wednesday, Ghani said the fighters “are continuing to advance in the areas and towns of Deir Az Zor countryside”.
The capture is the latest in a string of victories for the coalition of opposition forces who seized several cities – including the capital, Damascus – in an 11-day blitz.
On Sunday, al-Assad fled the country after the rebel forces, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Shams (HTS), closed in on Damascus.
Al-Assad’s Prime Minister Mohammed al-Jalali has since agreed to transfer power to an HTS-led transitional government, headed by Prime Minister Mohammed al-Bashir.
The SDF still control eastern sections of the governorate, across the Euphrates river, where the coalition fighters say they are advancing.
The power struggle in Deir Az Zor, which was a critical battleground in the fight against ISIL (ISIS) from 2014-2017, comes after rebel forces also wrested control of Kurdish-led forces in the northern city of Manbij.
On Wednesday, the SDF confirmed that the United States, which backs the group, had mediated a ceasefire agreement between it and the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) faction there.
Under the deal, aimed to ensure the protection of civilians, the Kurdish-led SDF agreed to “withdraw from the area as soon as possible”, said commander Mazloum Abdi, also known as Mazloum Kobani.