The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) has been quietly advancing in the southwestern countryside of the Deir ez-Zor Governorate recently, liberating several areas that were occupied by the Islamic State (ISIS) group, Al-Masdar News reports.

Backed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Hezbollah, the Syrian Arab Army’s 5th Legion has managed to expand their buffer-zone around the strategic T-2 Pumping Station.

According to a military source in Deir ez-Zor, the Syrian army and their allies have liberated more than 50 square kilometers of territory in the southwestern countryside of the province.

The source added that the Syrian army and their allies are now working to split the Islamic State pocket in two as they look to clear the last areas occupied by this terrorist organization.