Fall of Islamic State: Russia says Syrian government has doubled territory it controls in two months

Representational image. AP[/caption]Shoigu made the comments in an interview with state-owned TV channel Rossiya 24 on Sunday in which he predicted the end of the fight with the Islamic State group.Shoigu said the fall of the militant stronghold Deir el-Zour on the Euphrates "will say a lot, if not everything, about the end of the battle with" the Islamic State group.Russia is a close ally of the Syrian regime and has been providing air support for Syrian forces since 2015.Under pressure from Western-backed forces in Iraq and Syria, the Islamic State group has seen the territory it holds contract in recent months.