Commander Hassan Abdul Ghani said the city and its military airport are fully 'liberated'.
Syrian fighters who ousted former President Bashar al-Assad say they have taken full control of the eastern city of Deir Az Zor, after clashes with Kurdish-led forces held it shortly after anti-government troops fled.
Commander Hassan Abdul Ghani, a spokesman for the advanced forces, announced the capture of Deir Az Zor in a post on Telegram saying that the city and its military airport are “fully liberated”.
In a follow-up statement on Wednesday, Ghani said the fighters “continue to advance in rural areas and towns of Deir Az Zor”.
The capture is the latest in a series of victories for the coalition of opposition forces that have captured several cities – including the capital, Damascus – in 11 days blitz.
Sunday, al-Assad fled the country after the rebel forces, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Shams (HTS), closed in on Damascus.
Al-Assad has since had Prime Minister Mohammed al-Jalali agree to transfer power to a transitional government led by HTS, led by Prime Minister Mohammed al-Bashir.
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) held the town of Deir Az Zor for several days after Syrian government forces, which previously controlled areas of it, withdrew.
The SDF still controls the eastern regions of the government, across the Euphrates river, where coalition fighters say they are advancing.
The power struggle in Deir Az Zor, which was a critical battleground in the fight against ISIL (ISIS) from 2014-2017, comes after rebel forces also took control of Kurdish-led forces. in the northern city of Manbij.
On Wednesday, the SDF confirmed that the United States, which supports the group, had brokered a ceasefire agreement between it and the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) group there.
Under the deal, which was aimed at protecting civilians, the Kurdish-led SDF agreed to “withdraw from the area as soon as possible,” said commander Mazloum Abdi, also known as Mazloum Kobani.
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