The Syrian Army’s Tiger Forces have liberated the villages of Barlahin that had been controlled by ISIS terrorists in the eastern Aleppo countryside, south of the ISIS stronghold of al-Bab.
On January 18, the Syrian army retook the villages of Afrin and Rasm al-Abed from ISIS in the same area.
These developments and the ongoing government advance east of the Khanasser-Aleppo highway indicate the pro-government forces have shifted their attention from combating al-Qaeda-linked militant groups of the so-called “moderate opposition” to fighting ISIS in central Syria.
The ISIS attacks on Palmyra and Deir Ezzor are likely a major reason behind this decision.