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Al-Mayadeen, al-Mayadin, Deir Ezzor, Euphrates River, Euphrates Valley, Maps, Russia & Syria military, SAA Military Reports, Syrian Arab Army, Syrian Army, Syrian Army victory, Syrian borders, Syrian Resistance, War Against Terrorism, War on Syria, War Strategy
An enormous arsenal of various weapons and production facilities, plus a fleet of explosive-laden and armored vehicles has been discovered inside the recaptured Islamic State stronghold in Deir ez-Zor province, RT reports from the Al-Mayadeen frontline.
Following in the footsteps of the Tiger Forces, commanded by Syrian Army Brigadier General Suheil Salman al-Hassan, nicknamed ‘The Tiger’, an RT Arabic crew managed to film a number of warehouses full of weapons that Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) hastily abandoned, fleeing the city to the eastern side of the Euphrates River.
“Weapons warehouses here were simply huge. I’m just shocked by the amount of weapons I saw,” Syrian Army Lt. Col. Rahmi Mauwas told RT at the battlefront. “There are hundreds and even thousands of weapons and ammunition of various kinds.”
Besides weapons allegedly produced by the US, Israel and elsewhere across the Middle East, the Syrian forces said they discovered that the terrorists also organized its own weapon production in the city. Various types of logistics equipment were also left behind by the fleeing terrorists…(read more)…
Locals in Al-Mayadeen have spoken of the horror of living with Islamic State after the terror group was routed from one of its last strongholds by Syrian and allied forces.
Footage shot on Sunday showed the city in ruins with huge caches of weapons left behind by feeling IS fighters.
Locals spoke of being thrown in jail for smoking one cigarette, having beard stubble or not wearing the correct clothing.
SOT, local resident (Arabic): “Nobody wanted to cooperate with ISIS. I had six days in prison for smoking one cigarette. This happened because they saw me smoking or smelled tobacco on me. For this reason they imprisoned me for 6 days. They had such organisation, like a morality police called ‘Hysba.’ They were imprisoning even for removing stubble from a face, let alone a beard! Not a beard, just single hairs of bristle. You’re not allowed to shave this part. Beards should grow in natural way.”
SOT, Reporter (Arabic): “How many times you’ve been arrested for your beard?”
SOT, local resident (Arabic): “Four times. Four times I’ve been arrested for my beard. Not because it doesn’t grow, but because it should grow. They arrested me, then whipped me, tortured me and gave me spoiled food.”
SOT, local resident (Arabic): “I was imprisoned twice because of the beard, and once because of the fact that I had pants on me, not a jalabiya [a long men’s shirt].”
SOT, local resident (Arabic): “ISIS militants took ten houses which belonged to my brothers. They’d been confiscating them. They just took our houses and lived inside them.”
SOT, military officer (Arabic): “We’ve searched the whole area, which was the main military depot of ISIS, it has underground tunnels and was full of weapons.”