Islamist rebels oust ISIS from Syria’s Deir Ezzor

The jihadist Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) have withdrawn from the eastern Syrian province of Deir Ezzor on Monday after a three-day battle with Islamist rebels, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The monitor said the ISIS withdrew from the province, which borders Iraq, after fighting a coalition of opposition brigades including al-Qaeda's Syria affiliate al-Nusra Front.

Recently, the ISIS chief ignored Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri’s distancing his organization to ISIS. The chief continued to engage in clashes with rebels across opposition-held areas of Syria.

Al-Nusra had largely stayed out of the clashes with ISIL, but the Observatory said it joined around 10 other brigades in the fight against the jihadist group in Deir Ezzor.

According to Agence France-Presse, the loss of Deir Ezzor province could be a serious setback for ISIL, as it holds oil reserves and is a key conduit for the jihadists to receive weapons and fighters from neighboring Iraq.

More than 1,700 people have been killed in the clashes between rebels and ISIL that began in early January, according to the Observatory.

(With AFP)