Deir Ezzor: Hundreds may be dead after ISIS abductions - CNN.com - 1 views
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Hundreds may be dead after ISIS abductions in Deir Ezzor
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The city of Deir Ezzor in northern Syria has seen more than its share of conflict and suffering since the Syrian insurgency began
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The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported Sunday that at least 400 civilians -- including families of pro-regime fighters -- had been abducted by ISIS during the latest fighting and taken to the surrounding countryside.
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There is no way to independently verify the reports by the Observatory and SANA; other opposition outlets have put the number of casualties lower.
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The Observatory also reported Saturday that ISIS had killed or executed some 50 soldiers and 85 civilians during its offensive against al-Bagaliyeh.
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The ISIS-affiliated news agency Aamaq said Sunday that 167 regime fighters had been killed and many more wounded. A video released by ISIS Sunday purported to show heavy artillery and tanks being used as well as abandoned regime positions.
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Most of the city has been controlled by ISIS for well over a year, but some neighborhoods and the military airport to the south have remained in the hands of the regime
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several neighborhoods, capturing and killing dozens of Syrian soldiers but also seizing many civilians, according to reports from activists.
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As ISIS has gone on the offensive, Russia has stepped up its support for the regime in and around the city.
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As the situation has worsened, some civilians have managed to escape the city, which had nearly 1.5 million inhabitants before the Syrian conflict began
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Neighborhoods where the regime is holding out have been under siege by ISIS for a year, with medical supplies and food scarce and generators the only source of electricity. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has reported massive price inflation, as products had to be smuggled across the Euphrates River.
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Most of the city has been controlled by ISIS for well over a year, but some neighborhoods and the military airport to the south have remained in the hands of the regime