Main road linking IS-controlled areas in Syria cut off

Operation Euphrates Wrath aims to surround and capture Raqqa, the de facto capital of the IS extremists’ self-declared caliphate.

Syrian fighters have cut off the main road between the northern Syrian city of Raqqa and the eastern city of Deir el-Zour as they press against Islamic State (IS) territory.

Despite the fresh blockade on the Raqqa-Deir el-Zour road, IS still controls large areas south of Raqqa, and the extremists should be able to use smaller roads and paths through open desert to move between the cities.