Fighting in the Deir Ezzor Province of eastern Syria continues to rage, with ISIS looking to add to its gains after four days of fighting in which hundreds of people are believed to have been killed, and hundreds of others kidnapped.
ISIS was reported to have captured around 400 civilians on Sunday, but today released 270 of them, apparently letting the women, children, and the elderly go. The group followed this up, however, by kidnapping another 50 men, meaning they’ve still got 180 or so.
ISIS controls virtually the whole Deir Ezzor Province, except for the capital city of Deir Ezzor itself, which is contested, and a nearby military airbase. Recent fighting has seen ISIS seize territory around that area, including a military arms depot seized yesterday.
Though fighting continued today, there was no indication that any significant territory changed hands. Monday saw ISIS take a lot more territory, as a sandstorm kept Syrian warplanes from supporting troops on the ground.