ISIS has send huge reinforcements to the area of Deir Ezzor, accoording to pro-government sources. Local sources estimate the total number of ISIS fighters that are set to be deployed is between 300 and 400.
AlMasdarNews says:
Most of the reinforcements are coming from villages in the Deir Ezzor countryside and from Iraq, primarily from Anbar Province where they are being routed by Iraqi forces.
Earlier this week, the Russian Defense Ministry stated that ISIS had been able to launch a successfull offensive in Deir Ezzor due to reinforcements from Iraq:
“The actions of the US-led coalition in the Iraqi city of Mosul have generally come down to squeezing major ISIL forces into eastern Syria,” he said, adding that ISIS “almost freely” deploys forces and weapons to Syria.
Thisweek, ISIS has made notable gains in a battle against the Syrian army in Deir Ezzor, but the group has also suffered major casualties. Up to 200 ISIS terroirsts have been reportedly killed or wounded in clashes the city since the start of the offensive there.
