Al-Mayadeen a Ghost Town After Syrian Forces Capture from Islamic State

Little life is left in Al-Mayadeen, located south of Deir Ezzor in Syria, after Syrian government forces and their allies captured the town on October 15.

In this video by a pro-Syrian military news outlet, torn Islamic State signs hang from light posts in the city, and burned out cars and rubble line the streets, which are empty of people. Drone footage from a street in the center of the city shows smoke still rising.

After the campaigns to oust the Islamic State from Mosul, Iraq and Raqqa, Syria, Al-Mayadeen became a major center of Islamic State operations, local media said.

Syrian government forces and their allies have been fighting for control of Deir Ezzor from the Islamic State since the beginning of September. Russian forces have carried out repeated airstrikes on the towns south of Deir Ezzor on the Euphrates River, killing civilians and forcing hundreds of thousands to leave the area, according to local media outlets. Credit: YouTube/War Media Room via Storyful