Syrian troops close to encircling Deir Ezzor

Free Syrian Army fighters demonstrate their skills during graduation ceremony in the Syrian city of Al-Bab on Wednesday. (Reuters)

BEIRUT: A Syria war monitor said on Wednesday that Russian-backed Syrian forces have all but encircled Daesh militants in Deir Ezzor city in eastern Syria.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that Russia extended pontoon bridges across the Euphrates River, facilitating reinforcements to the eastern banks of The Euphrates river where the Syrian regime troops are closing in on the militants from the west.
The official state news agency SANA reported intense clashes in Al-Husseiniyeh, which according to the Observatory is the remaining contested village on the eastern side of the river before the militants are besieged in the city.
Backed by Russia, Syrian forces have advanced since early September on Deir Ezzor. US-backed forces are also racing to control areas along the border with Iraq in the oil-rich province.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Defense Ministry on Wednesday said it had killed five field commanders and 32 fighters from a group formerly affiliated with Al-Qaeda in strikes on Syria’s Idlib province.
The observatory said Russian strikes had killed 37 civilians including children in Idlib in northwestern Syria — the highest civilian toll since the region was designated in May as a “de-escalation” zone.
“As a result of a strike, five field commanders were liquidated,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.
It said the strike took place as the terrorist field commanders of the group formerly known as Al-Nusra Front met to the south of the city of Idlib.
“Along with them 32 more fighters were killed,” the ministry said.
The ministry did not say when the strikes took place.
It named the five senior figures killed including the commander of the southern sector of Idlib.
The former Al-Qaeda affiliate, which renamed itself Fateh Al-Sham Front and became the backbone of the coalition that rules much of Idlib, is designated a “terrorist” group by the UN.
The observatory said Russian airstrikes on Idlib on Monday killed at least 37 civilians including 12 children.
Moscow said the strikes were carried out after a Sept. 18 attack on Russian military police deployed in neighboring Hama province.
Since the Hama assault, Idlib has been the target of heavy airstrikes by the Syrian regime and its Russian ally.
Idlib province and some adjacent areas form one of four so-called de-escalation zones agreed in May by opposition backer Turkey and government allies Russia and Iran.