Fighter of the Khalid ibn al-Walid Army in western Daraa
On May 15, ISIS announced that its cells had assassinated an officer of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) in the southern governorate of Daraa.
In a statement released by the so-called Amaq news agency, the group said its terrorists shot and killed the officer near the town of al-Musayfrah in the eastern Daraa countryside.
“An officer, Mansour Al-Zoubi, with the rank of captain in the Syrian army, was killed today by Islamic State fighters who shot him near the town of al-Musayfrah in the eastern countryside of Daraa,” the statement reads.
In the last 24 hours, three separate attacks targeted government forces in eastern Daraa. Three service members and a civilian were killed, while six others were injured.
The SAA is now preparing to launch a large security operation in Daraa in order to put an end to terrorist attacks. Fresh reinforcements of the army’s elite 4th Division reportedly arrived in the governorate on May 15.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), prominent local leaders and the Russian Military Police have been meeting for the last three days to de-escalate the situation in Daraa. However, a full agreement to resolve security issues in the region is yet to be reached.
The threat of a security operation could pressure the remaining terrorists in Daraa to accepting a peaceful agreement. A similar agreement ended a security operation in the town of al-Sanamayn earlier this year.
Are ISIS cells trying to wake up SAA cells ?
Can’t wait for the IDF to drop bombs on the 4th Division, there is nothing Syrian about it. It’s made up of Afghanis, Iraqis and other Shia mercenaries paid by Iran. The deal was that they need to stay away 80KM from us, Russia has failed to keep that deal due to Iran’s action. Expect a large escalation soon.
I hate to tell you but the 4th division are mostly all Alawites and the rest are Orthodox Arab Shia and Persian/Syrian Shia, this is actually Assad’s most elite division and Iran pays for all the training and equipment. Some of the NDF forces have foreign units fighting with them, but it’s usually in the areas they’re local too. So if a NDF Shia militia is guarding their own home territory and need help, the Iranians attach a foreign Shia militia to help them in that area, which creates resentment in the local Sunni, Kurdish, Christian populations. The NDF militias are usually all local citizens protecting their own areas, the Druze, Sunnis, Alawites, Orthodox Shia and even Christians, but Iran also funds many of these too, so even the Sunni NDF forces have to answer to 2 masters. In Syria the Arab Alawite Shia are 11% of population, Orthodox Persian Shia 3% pop, Orthodox Arab Shia 2% pop. The Orthodox Persian Shia are usually more loyal to Iran than Syria [usually but not always], the Orthodox Arab Shia are more aligned to Iran than Syria but do have some loyalty to Syria due to their Arab ethnicity [usually but not always], and the Alawites are mostly pro Syrian and also tolerant of Iran, though some of them do seem to show as much loyalty to Iran as they do Syria, Assad sacked his own brother last year for being too in cahoots with Iran. But the Alawites aren’t liked by the Orthodox Arab and Persian Shia sect, they think the Alawites are really weird, similar to the way most orthodox Sunnis think the Druze religion is weird.
So Assad’s sending in the units of the SAA that the protesters hate more than anyone, how do you think that’s going to work out, as I said you may not have to worry about the Iranians if another uprising starts, the protesters will do the job for you.
I want to see the area closer to our border having no Shia militias in it, at all. It’s a Syrian internal conflict that they need to solve on their own, but it doesn’t mean Iran can use it for their personal vendetta against us. If the SAA can restore back order without letting Iran set up new infrastructures in the area, I’m cool with it. But we both know that ain’t gonna happen, Russia has limit on how much pressure they can put to fix things. I predict that in the next few weeks or months we will see increased attempts to try and hurt us from the other side of the Golan, till we we decide enough is enough. Let’s wait and see.
I think you’re right, sadly there’s not much more Russia can do now, Iran is being as obstinate as they’ve ever been, they seem hellbent on taking a hard line and it doesn’t look like they’ve made any compromises at all, I’m putting on my hardhat on now before things do explode, stay safe.
Thank you, as always you are loyal to your name. I love your comments and the truth you tell even if most of the other guys here hate it.
Amaq said this. Than it is a lie.
If Isis shot him he’s probably a loyal Syrian soldier, but since there’s so many different factions competing for influence here now, it’s getting harder and harder to tell who’s who. Parties that are vying for influence, Syria, Russia, Iran, Ex FSA anti Assad opposition, ex HTS anti Assad opposition, and Isis, Pro Assad Druze who oppose Iranian influence, Anti Assad Druze who oppose Iranian influence [not many at all], and as many as 20 different reconciled rebel groups [SFA mid 2017] who oppose Iranian influence, And everybody seems to be bumping someone or other off. Poor old Russia’s trying to stick a finger in all the leaking holes but sadly they’re running out of fingers, and if Assad or Iran could just lend a hand I think the Russians could stop that dam from bursting, but no one seems to want to help, so maybe Russia should just move out of the way and let that water crash where it wants to, all in Iran’s direction.