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On February 11, fighters of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and several Free Syrian Army (FSA) groups launched a new attack against the ISIS pocket in the southeastern Idlib countryside, according to Syrian opposition sources.
The HTS-linked news agency Iba’a reported that HTS fighters killed three fighters of ISIS and capture several buildings inside the village of Umm al-khalayel in the southeastern Idlib countryside. Two members of ISIS were reportedly captured by HTS during the clashes in the village.
Moreover, HTS and its allies shelled the positions and supply lines of ISIS inside and around Umm al-Khalayel with mortars and rockets, according to Iba’a.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prMgM0CWF74
From its side, the ISIS-linked news agency Amaq didn’t release any report about the ongoing battles in the southeastern Idlib countryside. This means that ISIS fighters there might have lost connection with their leadership in other areas in Syria and Iraq.
HTS claims that it will eliminate the ISIS pocket in the southeastern Idlib countryside within few days. However, several Syrian pro-government sources doubt this claim, as HTS has failed to clear the northeastern Hama pocket from ISIS before.
