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Kurdish fighters rescue over 1,000 terrorist hostages in eastern Syria - agency

Kurdish units carried out successful operations against the Islamic State terror group (outlawed in Russia) near Shafaa, Sousa and Baghuz on the eastern bank of the Euphrates River

MOSCOW, December 24. /TASS/. The Syrian Democratic Forces have rescued over 1,000 terrorist hostages in Syria’s Deir ez-Zor province, the Firat news agency reported.

According to the agency, Kurdish units, which form the bulk of the Syrian Democratic Forces, carried out successful operations against the Islamic State terror group (outlawed in Russia) near Shafaa, Sousa and Baghuz on the eastern bank of the Euphrates River.

"Our fighters managed to provide a safe passage to civilians held by militants, who had used them as a human shield," a Kurdish commander who led the operation told the agency.

On December 15, as many as 3,126 hostages were rescued from terrorist captivity in the town of Hajin, some 30 kilometers from the Iraqi border.

According to the Firat news agency, Syrian Democratic Forces’ units are now chasing IS gangs in a ten kilometer wide area. Militants have attempted to counterattack in some places which were repelled. The news agency added that more than 90 mercenaries fighting in terrorist ranks had been killed in eastern Syria in the past week.

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