Syrian government forces backed by Russian air support have killed over 800 members of the Daesh terrorist group during operations aimed at liberating Raqqah.

According to the Russian defense ministry on Sunday, the latest round of operations in Raqqah saw the defeat of “most capable and best armed group of Daesh in the Euphrates River valley.”

“Amid the operation, 800 terrorists, 13 tanks, 29 pickup trucks with high-caliber machine guns mounted on them, and mortars and artillery pieces totaling nine have been destroyed,” it added.

The operations were centered around the town of Ghanem Ali located in eastern Raqqah, where Daesh had launched an operation over the past few days to seize the town.

The Russian ministry notes that the troops involved in the operations are currently moving towards Dayr al-Zawr, where the terrorists are concentrated.

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The city of Raqqah, which lies on the northern bank of the Euphrates River, was overrun by Daesh terrorists in March 2013, and was proclaimed the center for most of the Takfiris’ administrative and control tasks the following year.

It is estimated that some 300,000 civilians are trapped inside Raqqah, including 80,000 displaced from other parts of Syria. Thousands have fled in recent months, and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs believes about 160,000 people remain in the city.