Syrian army troops and their local allies have been developing an advance against ISIS terrorists in the area north of the Homs-Palmyra highway.
On March 28, clashes between the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and ISIS units were reported near Mahr fields, Jahar, the Jidma Mount and the Abyadh Mountain. On March 27, government forces captured the Marbat Antar Mountain, the Dhalil mountain and the Hid Mountain north and northwest of Palmyra.
The recent anti-ISIS operations in the area show that the SAA and its allies are aiming to expand a buffer zone north of the Homs-Palmyra highway.
If government forces continue their advance in the northern direction, they will be able to secure a large chunk of area linking the Palmyra countryside and the Salamiyah countryside and to recapture a number of gas and oil fields from ISIS.
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They either need to expand that vulnerable sailliant either to the north or the south to prevent what happened last time. At least expansion to the north has the advantage that it can stop attacks against the road of life to Aleppo as well.
If the remaining ISIS leaders had any sense then they’ve been withdrawing fighters from that salient for quite awhile to defend Palmyra and the surrounding oil & gas fields. Those that are left should clear out fast like those in NE Sweida when the SAA starts advancing on them.
south up tio order an so block the smuggling.
As it has been noted, I also consider that Busayri crossroad southwest of Plamyra to be a strategic target. At the moment it could be taken with minimal effort and the service to the future would be immense since it would allow to secure Palmyra district form future FSA attacks.
They’re still fighting over the Al Taliah Crossroad. I don’t know the existing road network in the southern desert region but that may be the only location where ISIS units in the SW can reach roads to the east past Palmyra. Perhaps the fighting has gone on so long due to a constant flow of fleeing ISIS units showing up there and try to fight their way past the SAA?
exactly! road 90 is another parallal road between west part of country and palmyra.
Busayri crossroads guards valuable pass thru the mountains, but everything south of those mountains is extremely barren desert. This is the leeward side, and their are practically no local population here to create a NDF garrison. Hard to justify occupying it with the Army when you have so little manpower.
Remember the salient US head-chopping, heart-eating rapers took recently near Hama? Could be that the recapture of Palmyra is intended as a decoy too.