title: Russia sends 175 de-miners to Syria's Deir al-Zor: Interfax
text: MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia is to send 175 de-mining engineers to defuse mines in Syria s Deir al-Zor, Interfax news agency quoted Russia s Defence Ministry as saying on Monday. The first detachment of 40 de-miners has already been deployed to Russia s Hmeimim air base in Syria, the ministry said. Syrian government forces and U.S.-backed militias converged on Islamic State in separate offensives against the militants in the eastern Syrian province of Deir al-Zor on Sunday. 