The ISIS terrorist group has reportedly suffered a significant casualties as result of heavy air raids of the Russian and Syrian Air Forces in the Aleppo and Raqqa provinces.
Syrian warplanes hit ISIS positions in the Deir Hafer plains and al-Bab plateau in the northeastern part of Aleppo province, killing and wounding scores of ISIS members.
Russian and Syrian warplanes have pounded ISIS units in the Raqqa province. Areas near the Tabaqa military airport have faced especially heavy bombing. According to pro-government sources, large numbers of trucks and vehicles have been destroyed. Separately, air strikes have been conducted against ISIS units along the the Salamiyah-Raqqa road.
Recently, a series of reports has appeared that 3 Russian soldiers had been killed during the clashes in the southwestern parts of Raqqa province. The Russian Defense Ministry spokesman, Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov, denied these reports, saying that all military personnel whose photographs were published are alive.
I’d like to think that ISIS had to pay a price for their rapid counter-attack on the SAA forces in Raqqa, that moving such a long way in a short time exposed them but I don’t know what to think anymore.
The SAA collapse on the doorstep of Tabaqa military airport looks like a disaster to me. It is difficult for me to believe that the SAA did not lose a significant amount of troops and equipment with such a rapid retreat unless this was a pre-planned withdrawal but I doubt that.
Maybe it was a feigned fallback in order to identify ISIS positions of interest in the area.
A tactical retreat.