the Siege of Deir Ez-Zor

The city of Deir Ez-Zor has been besieged for years. It is a city controlled by the Syrian Government, but it is surrounded on all sides by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.

But the noose of the siege has tightened.

ISIS made stunning gains against Deir Ez-Zor city in January, taking the airport from the government and preventing Russian and Syrian planes from dropping adequate supplies for the besieged population there. While an ISIS takeover of Deir Ez-Zor city is unlikely, the citizens are suffering awfully.

The Syrian Arab Army, as usual, has been fighting in a professional and efficient manner against the barbarians and have been able to hold them off. The airport is almost retaken and the borders between ISIS and the Syrian Government have almost returned to how they were before January.

It is sad to note that both the Obama and Trump Administrations have let ISIS militants escape from Mosul, who have subsequently regrouped in an attack on Deir Ez-Zor city. This has caused unimaginable suffering for the inhabitants of the city - bedouin Sunni Arabs who support Bashar Al-Assad.

But the Syrian Government - backed by Russian airstrikes - is likely to cause another humiliating defeat for ISIS there. It is very unlikely ISIS will be able to take control of Deir Ez-Zor - more likely is that the Syrian Government is going to push out from the city and retake territory surrounding the city, while the main forces of the Syrian Government push east from Palmyra on the road to Deir Ez-Zor.

I think it far more likely that Bashar Al-Assad will liberate the eastern Deir Ez-Zor province before liberating the northern Raqqa province. Raqqa is completely controlled by ISIS and is thus a more difficult target. Deir Ez-Zor, on the other hand, has an enormous amount of oil in the province, and Assad has managed to hold the city for the entirety of the war and in doing so, has prevented Syria from fragmenting into smaller states.

Assad reclaiming Deir Ez-Zor would truly prove that he is able to rule Syria. I wait in eager anticipation for his forces to win this battle against the cockroaches of ISIS.