Deadly explosion targets military position in eastern Syria

DAMASCUS, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- A powerful explosion targeted a Syrian military position in the city of Mayadeen in the eastern countryside of Deir al-Zour Province in eastern Syria on Thursday, a monitor group said.

The explosion took place at the sunset on the outskirts of Mayadeen, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The London-based watchdog said many soldiers were killed, adding that the some of the bodies were scattered at the eastern bank of the Euphrates River.

The city was recaptured by the army in last October following battles with Islamic State (IS) militants, who have been driven out from Mayadeen and the capital city of Deir al-Zour in the same period.

Since then, the positions of the Syrian army have frequently been targeted by IS militants, who still control some areas in the countryside of Deir al-Zour.

Last year, the IS lost key strongholds in Deir al-Zour to the Syrian army and lost its de facto capital of Raqqa Province to the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, losing thus all of its major strongholds in Syria. Enditem