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The Syrian Arab Army (SAA), the National Defense Forces (NDF) and its allies, backed up by warplanes and attack helicopters, are advanciing in a mountainous region northeast of Palmyra.
According to pro-government sources, the SAA, the NDF, Hezbollah and other pro-government units have reached the Hulayhila area and continued developing momentum towards the ISIS-held town of Sukhna.
If governmnet forces secure the whole mountainous region north of Palmyra, they will secure a flank of the attack force that would advance along the Palmyra-Sukhna-Deir Ezzor road.
Sounds like good tactics.
Flank your enemy and force them to flee to avoid encirclement seems to be a favorite tactic in this war.
sometimes you dont always have overwhelming force and need to come up with brilliant tactics :))
SAA is still very far away of Der er Zur, much more speed is needed, or USA-kurds will reach this city much earlier, and this would be too bad for Syria army.
Maybe if Raqqa were to fall tomorrow they would. But that seems highly unlikely. It still wouldn’t hurt for the SAA to pick up the pace. At the very least for the SAA to advance eastwards again into the Euphrates valley.
i am hoping they are planning something top secret that explains the slowdown in advance
Or Russia could call Raqqa a “de-escalation zone”. This is just a cover to get the militants to give up their arms and admit defeat. By now there will be SDF and ISIS and other militants there.
After a week of this, during which civilians and militants who want to get out of this zone, and lead normal civilian lives, go to a place of safety or go back to their home countries, Russia and Syria should do an air-bombing campaign, flattening the city.
If the SDF and Yanks complain, Russia and Syria can very reasonably point out that they gave all participants a chance to clear out, and that Raqqa is Syrian territory and the Syrian government has a right to take back its land.
Soon the Turkish army will launch an all out attack on the
Kurds and they will be retreating throughout the South and East of Syria
including Raqqa and Tabqa to defend their front lines in the North of Syria
against Turkey. So the Kurds and the USSA will have softened up Raqqa mostly bombed
the civilians to ethnically cleanse it for the Kurds but now the Syrian army will
be able to take Raqqa with minimal losses. Putin and Erdogan outsmart and outflank the USSA and Israel.
Issam is waiting there for them :-)
The road from As Sukhana is flat and open no way to slow down any advance , the hills before it are the threat and need securing . They could leave groups and mines to cause sabotage in the area especially when Russia has made deals in regards to gas and oil . Why do the armchair generals don’t see the obvious . The US and SDF are limited in what they can cover and defend the Turks are very much a threat to SDF towards Kobane never mind Afrin .
All will be clearer when we know where the Tigers will be deployed after their welcome R&R.
The northern flank from M20 has to be secured and purged from any ISIS surprises, the forces in close proximity of T2 are closer to Deir Ezzor and Abukamal, once they secure T2 and move east they can develop two pincers, one going north to Deir Ezzor, the other going to Abukamal.
In meantime the forces along the Palmyra Deir Ezzor axis are chewing ISIS systematically and securing the northern flank and approaching Sukhana.
Sorry what’s significance of abukamal? I forgot :(
Secure the border with Iraq.
Ah yes thanks :))
“Ooh-aah Hezbollah, sing ooh-aah Hezbollah!”
Progress on The m45 and m20 roads are behind schedule. The SAA may not have sukhnah before the battle for raqqa is over. That is the only way they can connect to deir ezzor before the SDF has it surrounded.
They do not need to take Sukhnah , simply seige or surround it , and keep moving . If Deir Ezzor is lost , the US has its “Sunnistan” . Raqqa all the way to DZ .
The SAA have new plans and pushes on the go once their main forces have recuperated , the push will be back on from the flanks . The Desert Hawks ,QSF,HSF , are clearing out the Salamiyah area hopefully they can work as fast as the did in Khanisir Area , since this group has the freshest legs . Abukmal and Al Qaim have been heavily invested by ISIS and will take some work in dislodging them there , not much different from the road to As Sukhana. This is the US strategy is to slow down the SAA using its proxy ISIS/FSA/DAESH , the sooner these zones get set up the better . The FSA in Idlib have leaders talking about joining the SAA in stopping the partition of Syria , which has problems with HTS who threatens to and kill all those who want to join the SAA .
I think all is going well. Look for PMU out of Al Qaim working m7 & m4 South to meet up with coalition……:::
QSF? HSF?
Qualomoun Shield Forces about 2800 former FSA from that region and Home Shield Forces very integral group made up of tribesmen who were instrumental in defending against ISIS 400 with possible force expanding to 800 or more that’s based on money issues.
right, i just didnt recognize them from the initials. thanks
Completely off-topic, but does anyone know details about the Khan Sheikhun chemical attack investigation.
The OPCW has brought out a report https://www.opcw.org/fileadmin/OPCW/Fact_Finding_Mission/s-1510-2017_e_.pdf
In this report it claims that it received samples from Khan Sheikhun from the Syrian government that contained sarin.
The Syrian government rejects the conclusions of the OPCW report. But I haven’t seen any reaction from them on the claims in the report that they provided samples.