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An intense fighting is ongoing between government forces and ISIS terrorists in the area of the Homs-Palmyra highway and near the border with Iraq.
According to pro-government sources, 30 ISIS members were killed and over 50 were injured during clashes in the area of Humaymah near the border with Iraq. 2 Syrian soldiers were killed as a result of the ISIS attack at the Al-Musheirefah Hill in the eastern Homs countryside. At the same time, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and its allies advanced north of the Homs-Palmyra road and captured the Al-Alam Hill south of Taliaa al-Gharbia.
Meanwhile, Russian airstrikes destroyed at least 3 ISIS vehicles in the area of Jub Al-Abied east of Salamiyah.
According to local sources, government forces are going to resume the operation in the eastern Hama countryside within few days. The SAA, the National Defense Forces (NDF) and the Desert Hawks Brigade still see the liberation of Uqayrabat as a key part of the wider effort against ISIS in central Syria.
Right now, government forces cannot push to Deir Ezzor because of a high number of ISIS units operating in the rear of its logistical lines. Sukhna is another point that has to be liberated to resolve the situation.
An intense fighting is ongoing in eastern Damascus where the SAA and the NDF have been attempting to pressure Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra, the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda), Faylaq al-Rahman and Jaish al-Islam on multiple fronts. The main clashes are ongoing in the Ayn Tarma area. However, sporadic firefights were also reported in the northeastern part of the pocket. According to pro-militant sources, over 30 government soldiers were killed in the recent clashes.
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), backed up by the US-led coalition, are storming the neighborhoods of Nezlit Shehada and Al-Shaddadi in Raqqah city. According to pro-SDF sources, over 27 ISIS members were killed in the recent clashes and an IED plant was captured. According to ISIS, 8 SDF members were killed recently.
The battle for Raqqah has turned into a very complicated task for the US-backed force. While there is little doubt that the city will be liberated, the question is how much time and manpower will this effort take?
Isis are sucking up man power in urban fighting… SDF will bleed a lot until city is captured
Good. Let the SDF lose as many men as possible. Then the SAA can liberate more places.
SDF needs to let Raqqa starve and go after the oil fields.
And why the hell is that?
Perhaps abortion rights for the oil fields, or just a land grab? :/
Hahahaha, yeah man, i did never read anything else from this Schmock then abortion rights, but right now i cant even believe my eyes that there is not even a MENTION of it. Just Pure Greed and Famin.
Nice pun from you.
Actually can somebody explain why this guy is so OPSESSED with Abortion rights?! Did he wish that he had been aborted? Or what is his problem?
both! oil workers need abortion rights and abortion rights supporters, like myself, want oil.
So, a (((person))) with Cohen for a last name is an abortion supporter? Color me surprised.
Not if they don’t make the mistake of engaging in urban warfare. Best to encircle then and cut all their supplies off and starve them to death until they crumple.
I wonder how feasible it is to flank Al-sukhanah from the south, and start moment toward Deir ezzor, while waiting for the reinforcements from the north to storm the city and using the Hills to keep the desert savages at bay. I think it is also possible to advance from Arak along the north side of the highway, using the help of the new russian jets at the Tayas, to wipe out the savages in the desert. The goal of the advance to the north of the city will be to cut Al- Sukhanah reinforcements from the central ISIS pocket and to force ISIS to engage SAA in the desert, where they are hopelessly outgunned. ISIS expects a fight in the city, which is what they excel at, but this is unnecessary, and should be denied at all costs, the goal should be to trap an ISIS force in Al-sukhanah, make it useless, and destroy it with bombs, artillery, and starvation, while advancing to Deir Ezzor.
Yes, it is possible to access M20 east of Sukhana, however, they are playing it safe, attritting ISIS slowly. ISIS is going to use irregular terrain and urban areas to have a fighting chance, bleeding them slowly and closing the pincers in central and east Syria and systematically destroying them is a win strategy for the Russians and SAA and allies.
I think the dangers of ISIS counterattack against the rear of the forces invested in the Sukhana advance are minimal.
It makes me laugh SAA should be able to trap anything.
You really dont get, where ISIS are at Sukna and how they defend it.
My biggest fear for SAA is, they run out of troops and supply spread out as they are. If ISIS still have troops for it, they can and will counterattack hard.
Well if you know better why don’t you post a response.
AS OPPOSED TO YOUR USUAL GARBAGE !!
I hope Im wrong about lack of fresh troops and supply.
No doubt T3 is a major SAA supply hub by now, along with much modern desert housing for the troops (maybe a few holes in the roof). Could be why the heights south of As Sakhneh are being cleared of ISUS. This is a battle of attrition that Daesh is losing for sure.
Lets hope so.
Appears that SAA is in news black out right now.
Have you heard anything about their movements?
This sight has nothing on the entire E Syria front in last day and a half.
Something is going on I think.
Shush ISIS apologist, your friends will be dead soon enough
Its a military oppinion. It could many places in the world involving neither SAA nor ISIS.
Well thanks for your contribution…
The Kurds can learn a few lessons from ongoing operations in Syria. They need to make a quantum leap to be where 5th Corps is.
Kurds are foot soldiers without much heavy equipment, the charade in Raqqa is not very convincing.
I have written mine about that and have no expections about time and losses in Raqqa as well.
HELL YEAH Good anaylsis!
Well at least we don’t have to guess which road to Der Ezzor the Tigers will take – 30 km dash towards Euphrates today, reaching southern access to Raqqa.Like hot knife through butter…
I see this report ….
—-Russia deploys Su-25 attack aircraft at T-4 Airbase in Homs—-
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/russia-deploys-su-25-attack-aircraft-t-4-airbase-homs/
the original source is this
https://twitter.com/LucasFoxNews/status/888376396535537665
If it is true , the fighting capability and the time for action over the enemy is multilpied !
According to AMN “Backed by pro-government tribal fighters, the SAA’s Tiger Forces dashed across eastern Raqqa and captured the neighboring towns of Dalha and Al-Aukarishi, thus reaching the Euphrates River in one of its largest single advances in 2017.”
This move was long anticipated, the ISIS resistance is minimal, their fortified static defenses can be bypassed easily, cutting off their communication and supply lines, any attempt to make a stand in the open desert would mean they would be pummeled by Russian Air Force flying Suk 25 from Tyas, and finishes off by the armored forces of the Tiger units.
Deir-Ezzor is going to have some visitors, who will lift the siege and annihilate ISIS forces in the area.
A 30 KM move by SAA along the pipeline road would put them at the main highway between Dalha and Al Aukarishi. But still no confirmation from SAA?
AMN has released a second report:
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/breaking-syrian-army-advances-30-kilometers-isis-held-eastern-raqqa/
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/syrian-army-verge-entering-deir-ezzor-raqqa/
I am saying ISIS is weak because of the following factors:
1. They lack armor, therefore mobility and ability to counterattack in the desert.
2. They use static defenses since their mobility will be curtailed and in peril, since Russia deployed Suk 25 and gunships at Tyas air base. Response time is very fast, therefore any convoy movements identified by drones will be under attack within 10-15 minutes.
3. ISIS is significantly outnumbered, therefore existing front lines favor Russia, SAA and allies, since the walls are closing in on ISIS in central and eastern Syria.
Fighting in the desert does not favor ISIS, their favorite methods of shock, attacking with VBIEDs creating gaps in static defenses allowing their shock troops to penetrate and exploit the situation, does not work well against mobile forces that are not static.
The important aspect of this advance is to have adequate infantry coverage in the areas that have been occupied, so that their communication and supply lines are not harassed, and prone to sneaky small scale counterattacks.
Most of make sense to me.
SEE, THIS is why you don’t announce troop movements to the entire world…
It was only a couple of days ago that it was announced that the Tiger Forces were being pulled off this line that is now being attacked because it was “going too slow”… What in the actual fuck???
After seen many many videos of SAA in action, I am stil saying the SAA do not have the right support from Russia. Instead of two or one helicopters, why not to send 20 on big operations ? instead of making three or four bombing, why not to send 30 bombers ?, instead of firing two or one big gun, why not to fire 40 ? I means, Russia can do this and can supply with this weapons. Of course, it is sending some experimental terminator, and so on, The point is to win the war ans destroy the terrorists created by USA-NATO-Israel, which they are still supporting them.
The usual wrong answer. One of the corrects answers are infantery from bottom to top of the best kind.