Fighters of the Deir ez-Zor Military Council, formed under the umbrella of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), took control of Koniko gas field Saturday morning, the SDF media centre announced.
The conflict monitor Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Saturday that clashes were ongoing just outside Koniko, with ISIS carrying out counter attacks against the SDF who were trying to take control of the field.
The Syrian Army and allied militias were reportedly advancing towards the same location and were seeking to cut block SDF advances.
Abu Khawla, an SDF commander, told Reuters that the Syrian army and its allied militias are within four kilometres of SDF positions.
Syria’s state-run SANA news reported the Syrian army had gained control of villages on the banks of the Euphrates River, south of Koniko, named for the American company that built it, Conoco.
