LATAKIA (Sputnik) — The Syrian government forces repelled on Friday another military attack by the Islamic State (ISIL) extremist group on the Deir ez-Zor airport in the east of the country, killing dozens of extremists, an army spokesman said.
"Our armed forces repelled several Islamic State's attacks on the airport of Deir ez-Zor, dozens of terrorists and their vehicles with machine guns were destroyed," Brig. Gen. Ali Maihub told reporters.
The Syrian government has been fighting a number of opposition factions and extremist groups, including ISIL and the Nusra Front, since 2011.
There is a total of 15 military airports in Syria. The Jihadist militants have been trying to seize control over the Deir ez-Zor airport for three years.
