The Islamic State (IS) militant group has recaptured almost half of a former major stronghold on November 10, a day after Syrian government forces and their allies claimed it had full control of the town, a monitoring group reported.
The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human rights said on November 10 that IS fighters retook more than 40 percent of Albu Kamal near the Iraqi border in a counterattack after the Syrian Army's general command said in a statement the previous day that they had "liberated" the IS group's last bastion in Syria.
The Observatory said the militants reseized neighborhoods located in the northern, northeastern, and northwestern sectors of Albu Kamal, forcing the regime forces and their allies to retreat to the southern parts of the town, the watchdog added.
IS has suffered a string of defeats at the hands of separate but simultaneous offensives in Iraq and Syria by the Russian-backed Syrian forces and allied militias as well as U.S.-backed Iraqi and Syrian fighters.
Syrian and Russian officials had praised their troops earlier on November 10 for taking Albu Kamal.
Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and millions have fled their homes since the war in Syria began in early 2011. Russia began aiding Syrian forces with air strikes and material in 2015.