DAMASCUS, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- Fighters have gained full control of the eastern Syrian city of Deir al-Zour following the reported withdrawal of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to areas east of the Euphrates River, according to statements from a local commander and a war monitor.
Hassan Abdel Ghani, a commander of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), said that their fighters now hold all of Deir al-Zour city and continue to advance in rural areas.
"Our combatants are pressing forward in the suburbs, having secured the city center along with both western and eastern countrysides," the commander said.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Wednesday the SDF had pulled out of Deir al-Zour and the nearby city of Al-Bukamal, returning to areas east of the Euphrates River.
The SDF had taken control of Deir al-Zour earlier following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad's government.
The Kurdish forces, previously seen as a dominant force in parts of northeastern Syria, appear to have ceded ground as militant groups, led by the HTS, stake their claims on strategic territories and key population centers. ■
