KUBINKA/Moscow Region/, August 25. /TASS/. The ongoing campaign to root out terrorists in Akerbat in the eastern part of Syria’s Hama province has entered its final stage, commander of Russia’s task force in Syria Colonel-General Sergei Surovikin said on Friday.
"Despite serious losses, the armed militant groups seek to keep this important and strategic transport hub," Surovikin told a round table at the Army-2017 international military and technical forum.
"The seizure of Akerbat will allow the Syrian army to create a complete security zone to the west of "the road of life" that is the Salamiyah-Khanaser route, and establish full control over hydrocarbon fields to the north of Palmyra," the commander said.
In northeastern Syria, Assad’s forces have been successfully carrying out their offensive against the Islamic State’s terrorists along the western bank of the Euphrates River in the direction of Deir ez-Zor, he said.
"Major triumphs have been achieved in central Syria where the Aleppo province has been fully liberated. Just over the past week the government forces have established control over 1,100 square kilometers of territory," the general highlighted.
An IS group encircled to the east of Yttrium has been wiped out and now terrorists are also surrounded to the north-west of Al-Sukhnah, he noted.
"The government forces have seized the villages of El-Kom, Al-Sukhnah, El-Kder and Al-Taybah where large reserves and warehouses belonging to the terrorists were situated. So favorable conditions were created for the earliest possible liberation of Syria’s central areas from IS and a further offensive in Deir ez-Zor," the general said.