ISIS Expels Rivals From Key East Syrian City

Controls Virtually Whole Oil-Rich Deir Ezzor Province Now

As the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) continues to expand its control over the Deir Ezzor Province in eastern Syria, they have turned their focus on oilfields, and on expelling rival factions from the provincial capital.

Some of the fighters chose to defect to ISIS outright, though others were killed or chased off. The local leader for al-Qaeda’s Jabhat al-Nusra was slain, and photos of his body were posted online.

The purge from Deir Ezzor means an influx of fighters into the area around Deraa, at the Jordan border, though it is unclear if this will have any impact on the ongoing fighting in that area.

Rebels confirm that ISIS is now in control of virtually the whole of Deir Ezzor Province, including all oilfields, though they still have not taken the Syrian military airfield in the area.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.