ISIS WITHDREW FROM OMAR OIL FIELDS AMID SYRIAN ARMY ADVANCE TOWARDS THEM

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On Friday, ISIS fighters withdrew from the strategic Omar oil fields in the southeastern Deir Ezzor countryside after planting dozens of IEDs and mines inside them, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported.

The report added that ISIS withdrew after the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) captured Dhiban village west of the Omar oil field. The SOHR also said that Russian airstrikes on ISIS positions inside the oil fields played a key role in the ISIS decision to withdrew from them.

Moreover, some Syrian pro-government activists reported that the SAA already captured the oil fields. However, these claims are not confirmed yet.

Meanwhile, Syrian opposition sources claimed that the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are also advancing towards the Omar oil fields. According to the sources, the SDF is now in only 8km from the oil fields. Due to the large size of the oil fields, the SDF might capture a part of it, even if the SAA captures the main oil facilities.

If the SAA captures the Omar oil fields, the tension between it and the SDF will likely decrease. However, there is no doubt that bad relations between the SAA and SDF will be one of the main issues in the post-ISIS era.

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