DAMASCUS, June 24 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian army has recently recaptured an estimated 1,800 square km of areas from the Islamic State (IS) in eastern Syria near the Iraqi border, the Syrian army said in a statement Sunday.
The statement said the Syrian army and its allies have carried out a precise military operation against the IS-held pockets in the eastern province of Deir al-Zour.
The captured areas are in the eastern countryside of Deir al-Zour west of the city of al-Bukamal near the Iraqi border, according to the report.
This is part of the wide-scale military offensive by the Syrian army in the Syrian desert region in eastern Syria, where the army captured large swathes of territories in recent days.
On June 20, local media said the Syrian army wrested control over 4,500 square km of areas after battles with the IS in the countryside of Deir al-Zour, the central province of Homs and the south of the capital Damascus.
Most of the recaptured areas are in the Syrian desert, where the IS controls several pockets.
The military operation is part of the Syrian army's resolve to eliminate the threat of the IS and secure more areas near the Syrian-Iraqi border.
The IS has lost control of key areas last year to the Syrian army and the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces in the northern province of Raqqa and Deir al-Zour.
