SDF says seized eastern region from ISIS

The Syrian Kurdish YPG militia said on Sunday it had fully captured Deir al-Zor’s eastern countryside from Islamic State with the help of both the U.S.-led coalition and Russia.

The YPG spearheads the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an alliance of mostly Kurdish and Arab militias fighting Islamic State with Washington’s backing. The SDF offensive in Deir al-Zor province, which borders Iraq, has focused on territory east of the Euphrates river.

On the western bank, the Syrian military has waged its own attack against Islamic State with support from Iran-backed militias and Russia.

The separate assaults advanced from opposite sides of the river, which bisects oil-rich Deir al-Zor, mostly staying out of each other’s way. The U.S.-led coalition and the Russian military have held deconfliction meetings - to prevent clashes between planes and troops - though the two offensives have sometimes come into conflict.

The SDF’s most powerful component, the YPG militia, announced that it had defeated Islamic State militants on its side “in cooperation with the Arab tribes.”

The announcement comes after U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis said Washington will stop arming the YPG as offensive operations come to an end.