A Syrian soldier walks as smoke rising in the city of Al-Sukhnah in central Syria, Aug. 13, 2017. The black flag of the Islamic State (IS) group is all that is left in the strategic city of Al-Sukhnah in central Syria, after the Syrian army and allied fighters recently took hold of the city, deemed as the gate to Deir al-Zour province in the east. (Xinhua/Ammar Safarjalani)
