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WORLD NEWS 9
Tuesday 19 January 2016
Islamic State seizes new areas from troops in eastern Syria
BASSEM MROUE verse a string of defeats in Syrians wait for an aid convoy in the besieged town of Madaya in the countryside of Damas-
Associated Press Syria and Iraq over the past cus, Syria as part of a UN-sponsored aid operation in this war-torn country. Islamic State militants
BEIRUT (AP) — Islamic State months. IS controls most of launched a fresh offensive Monday, capturing new areas from government forces near the city of
militants launched a fresh Deir el-Zour province and Deir el-Zour in eastern Syria, opposition activists said.
offensive Monday, taking much of the capital with
advantage of a sandstorm the same name, while the (AP Photo)
that sharply reduced vis- government controls sev-
ibility in eastern Syria and eral districts in the northern the Observatory’s chief massacre” over the week- scene of a “bloody mas-
capturing new areas from part of the city and the ad- Rami Abdurrahman. end in the city of Deir el- sacre committed by the
government forces near jacent military airport. Most Syria’s government said Zour. Daesh terrorist organiza-
the city of Deir el-Zour, op- of the casualties in the lat- Sunday that IS killed 300 The Syrian Foreign Ministry tion,” referring to IS under
position activists said. est fighting occurred in the people in an “appalling said Baghaliyeh was the its Arabic acronym.q
The Britain-based Syrian area of Baghaliyeh near
Observatory for Human the city.
Rights said the militants If IS captures the whole city
captured areas just north of Deir el-Zour it will be a
of the city, including an major boost for the group
army base known as the as they will be in control
“Saiqa Camp” and parts of two provincial capitals
of arms depots in the vil- in Syria. IS already controls
lage of Ayash. Opposition the northern Syrian city
activist Omar Abu Leila re- of Raqqa — the militant
ported that IS fighters had group’s de facto capital
in fact captured the entire — in the province by the
Ayash village, which is just same name.
north of another town that “Daesh is trying to capture
IS captured over the week- Deir el-Zour to achieve a
end. victory after its recent fail-
The Observatory and Abu ures in Syria and Iraq,” said
Leila, who is from Deir el-
Zour but currently lives in Airstrike hits police facility in Yemen, 26 killed
Europe, said the sandstorm
reduced visibility in Deir AHMED AL-HAJ The security officials, who in the facility’s courtyard shortly before midnight on
el-Zour, giving advantage Associated press are loyal to anti-govern- while nearby homes suf- Sunday, according to the
to IS fighters who pressed SANAA, Yemen (AP) — An ment Shiite rebels known fered some damage, they officials, who had no fur-
their offensive without fear airstrike by the Saudi-led as the Houthis, said some said. ther details. Reporters were
of being hit from the air by coalition targeted a build- 30 people were believed The dead and wound- barred from approach-
Syria’s air force, grounded ing used by police in Ye- still trapped under the de- ed were policemen and ing the facility. The officials
by the bad weather. men’s capital, Sanaa, kill- bris of the badly damaged Houthi rebels, they said. spoke on condition of ano-
Over the weekend, IS cap- ing at least 26 people and building in central Sanaa. The targeted building was nymity because they were
tured several areas in Deir wounding about 15, securi- The officials had initially an- partially used as a gather- not authorized to speak to
el-Zour province, killing ty officials said on Monday. nounced that 20 people ing point for security forces the media.
scores of troops and civil- Security forces swiftly were killed, but later said and on occasion used by The Saudi-led coalition be-
ians and capturing hun- sealed off the area as that six more bodies were the Houthis as an assembly gan airstrikes against the
dreds in this province bor- earth-moving equipment unearthed from under the point for forces headed to Houthis and their allies in
dering Iraq, according to arrived to help with the debris. deployment elsewhere in March 2015, siding with the
activists and state media. search for bodies and survi- The strike also destroyed Yemen. internationally recognized
The extremist group ap- vors under the debris. police vehicles parked The airstrike happened government.q
pears to be trying to re-
