Russia's airstrikes kill 14 civilians in Deir Ezzor: activists

(Zaman Al Wasl)- Russia`s airstrikes on Saturday have killed 14 civilians in Deir Ezzor province as regime army, Kurdish and Iraqi forces tighten noose on ISIS in eastern Syria, local activists said.

Ahmed Ramdan, from Furat Post, localmonitorng group based in Deir Ezzor, told Zaman al-Wasl that the Russian warplanes had pounded the villages of Mahkan and al-Tabiya near the Euphrates river that bisects oil-rich Deir Ezzor, Islamic State’s last major foothold in Syria.

At least 320 people have killed in a deadly aerial and ground bombing on Deir Ezzor by the Syrian regime, US-led coalition and Russia, Amaq news agency said on Thursday.

On the ground, the regime troops with Iran-backed militias have controlled the village of al-Mraieiya near the Deir Ezzor airport, Ramdan added.

Meanwhile, U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said they came under attack on Saturday from Russian jets and regime forces in Deir Ezzor.

The alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias fighting with the U.S.-led coalition, said six of its fighters were wounded in the strike.

The SDF accused Damascus of trying to obstruct its fighters. Such attacks “waste energies that should be used against terrorism ... and open the door to side conflicts,” it said.

Assad troops with allies have closed in from the west since last week, while the SDF advances from the east.

The assaults by the Russian-backed regime army and the SDF have at times raised fears of clashes that could stoke tensions between the competing world powers.

The U.S. coalition has said the SDF does not plan to enter Deir Ezzor city, where Syrian soldiers have broken an Islamic State siege that lasted since 2014.

In relevant development, an Iraqi military statement said Akashat, a desert region located south of the Euphrates river, was captured in an offensive which had been announced earlier in the day.

The attack on Akashat is meant to pave the way for the recapture of urban centers in the Euphrates valley, including the border post of al-Qaim, it said. (With agencies)