Syria: Fighters claim control of Mayadeen army base in Deir al-Zour province
Syrian rebels claimed to have captured an army artillery base in the eastern oil producing province of Deir al-Zour on Thursday, a monitoring group said, weakening by that President Bashar al-Assad’s control of the strategic region bordering Iraq.
“The area east of the city of Deir al-Zour, on the Iraqi border, is now the largest area in the whole country that is out of army control,” said Syrian Observatory for Human Rights director Rami Abdel Rahman to AFP.
“After 20 days and 44 martyrs, the Mayadeen military base fell at 8.30 a.m. (0630 GMT). The whole countryside, from the Iraqi border and along the Euphrates to the city of Deir al-Zour, is now under rebel control,” Abu Laila, an official in the Military Revolutionary Council in the province, told Reuters.