On October 18, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and the National Defense Forces (NDF) captured the railway station north of the ISIS-held town of al-Qaryatayn in the southern Homs countryside, according to pro-government sources.
Thus, the SAA is now in only 1km from the northern entrance to the town.
Back on October 17, the ISIS-linked news agency Amaq claimed that ISIS fighters killed 20 SAA soldiers during clashes in Rmaila Sharqiyah village and Jubail Mount around al-Qaryatayn.
Pro-government sources claimed that the SAA will storm al-Qaryatayn in the upcoming days. While Syrian opposition sources reported that the town is now under a strict siege by the SAA.
However, the SAA allowed some food supplies to enter the town for the civilians on October 18, according to opposition sources.
The battle of al-Qaryatayn town will likely be harder than expected because there are at least 10,000 civilians trapped inside the town, according to opposition sources. Even if this number is overestimated, it remains a notable problem for government forces.
Moreover, local sources confirmed lately that ISIS fighters inside the city are well armed and experienced despite the previous reports that only poorly armed cells were operating in the city.
