ALEPPO (Sputnik) – A Syrian militia unit has attacked a command post of Daesh (ISIL) terrorist group in the city of al-Bukamal near the border with Iraq, killing 22 members of Daesh, including one of the group’s leaders, a Syrian military source told RIA Novosti.
According to the source, the leader "was responsible for the group’s security." The source also said that over 25 Daesh fighters were killed on Wednesday in the Syrian city of Deir el-Zour (ez-Zor).
Syria has been mired in a civil war since 2011, with government forces loyal to President Bashar Assad fighting a number of opposition factions and extremist groups, such as ISIL (also known as Daesh)
Daesh is a radical Sunni group, which is banned in a range of countries, including Russia.
Russia has been launching airstrikes against Daesh targets in Syria at the request of Syrian President Bashar Assad since late September 2015.
A US-led international coalition has been launching airstrikes against Daesh in Syria since September 2014, without the approval of Damascus or the United Nations.
On Thursday, a new batch of humanitarian aid prepared jointly by Russia and Syria was delivered to the Syrian city of Deir el-Zour, besieged by Daesh militants.
