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On September 15, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) imposed control of several positions in Qa’a al-Banat in the heavily fortified area of al-Safa following heavy clashes with ISIS fighters, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA). Ten snipers of the terrorist group were reported killed by soldiers.
“The advance on this axis allowed the [Syrian] army units to impose fire control of the last lake benefiting the terrorists of Daesh [ISIS] north of Qabr al-Sheikh Hassan,” said the SANA’s reporter in the governorate of al-Suwayda.
More members of ISIS were killed and injured when the SAA artillery shelled their positions and hideouts in al-Safa, which is located north of al-Suwayda.
A day earlier, ISIS fighters ambushed a unit of the SAA, which was attempting to advance in al-Safa. As a result, 21 Syrian soldiers were killed, according to the director of the Syrian Observatory for Humans Rights (SOHR).
The SAA is advancing slowly in al-Safa with light air support in order to ensure the safety of around 30 civilian hostages, who were abducted by the terrorist group more than a month ago.
