The jagged ruins of Sukhna, rising in the midst of an infinite expanse of desert sand, can feel like the middle of nowhere.
But this strategic crossroads in eastern Syria, surrounded by gas fields, is a major prize for Syria's army in its offensive against the last remains of so-called Islamic State's crumbling self-declared caliphate in Syria.
"It's a significant victory," declares Gen Mohamed, his eyes shaded from the glaring heat by mirrored aviator sunglasses.
The squat muscular soldier who offers only his first name had suddenly - and surprisingly - leapt from his gleaming white vehicle and strutted across the ribbon of tarmac when he spotted our team inspecting a road sign defaced by IS' infamous black signature at the entrance to this ravaged desert town.
"Sukhna was Daesh's [IS'] most important hub in this area and we've now opened the road to Deir al-Zour," he explains in reference to the next populated centre in their sights. The neighbouring governorate of Deir al-Zour is almost completely controlled by IS, except for a besieged section of its main city and a Syrian airbase still in use.
We are the first journalists to be taken to this abandoned town just captured by an advancing Syrian army. Its steady stride across the vast sweep of the baking hot eastern desert is accelerating with the powerful punch of Russia's warplanes and special forces, an array of Iran-backed militias and local tribes.