IS continues siege in Syrian province

The Islamic State (IS) continued to keep 350,000 civilians living in the northeastern Syrian province of Deir al-Zour under confinement, the Syrian Observatory for Rights Human (SOHR) reported on Thursday.

The extremists on Thursday barred three trucks carrying humanitarian aid supplies from entering the districts of al-Gorah, el-Qusur, and smaller surrounding neighbourhoods, Efe news agency reported citing SOHR.

The IS is preventing the delivery of food and other supplies to the areas, resulting in soaring prices of basic essentials such as bread and sugar, according to the SOHR.

Medical supplies are also scarce, according to an NGO, especially medications for heart disease and high blood pressure.

In like manner, the Bashar al-Assad regime is obstructing deliveries from entering areas under IS control in the same Deir el-Zour province that borders Iraq.

Further, IS militants are buying granaries near the northern edge of the province, and then selling the products off to Iraqi buyers.

The IS declared in late June of 2014 the establishment of an Islamic "caliphate" in areas under its control in both Iraq and Syria.

In the following month, the militants took control of almost the entire province of Deir el-Zour, with the exception of some districts in the capital and the military airport.

Amid the pressing IS threat, more than 200,000 people have died since the civil conflict began in Syria nearly four years ago, according to the UN.