ILLUSTRATIVE IMAGE: Sputnik/Mikhail Alaeddin
Syrian troops have eliminated more than 270 ISIS members during the operation in the province of Al-Suwayda since the middle of November, Oleg Makarevich, a spokesman for the command of the Russian task force in Syria, told media on December 3.
“During the operation, over 270 militants were killed, large amounts of weapons, ammunition, shells, foreign-made landmines, including 12 TOW anti-tank guided missiles, were seized,” he stressed adding that most militants had arrived in al-Suwayda from the US-controlled area of At-Tanf.
“The terrorists had been there for a long time, flocking to the area for several months. Among them were militants who were able to leave Yarmouk and Damascus in advance and also arrived from al-Tanf. Another difficulty was that tanks and heavy artillery have very limited maneuverability there, while the militants had many grenade launchers, anti-tank missiles and 82mm mortars.”
On November 19, the Syrian military declared that the al-Safa area in al-Suwayda, located less than 100 kilometers from Damascus had been liberated from ISIS terrorists.
The entire area of 380 square kilometers was declared to be liberated. ISIS leader in southern Syria, Abu Hajar al-Shishani, was eliminated during the operation, according to the SANA news agency. Thus, according to the Syrian and Russian state-run media, the Syrian Army eliminated the last ISIS stronghold in southern Syria.
However, according to local sources, ISIS cells still operate in the Homs-Deir Ezzor desert as well as in a small area north of al-Safa.
If the terrorists don’t have non combatants embedded with them as human shields, they’re extremely vulnerable to air strikes and heavy weapons. And even if they do, they’re still vulnerable, though it’s unfortunate if innocents get killed.
Suggestion, this time serious, to South Front: Pave Way, yesterday, I think, linked to an curious yankee map, giving the yankee vision about territory control (by whom) and territory not controled by anyone in Syria. I think that would be interesting to make an article comparing syrian and russian maps, about the actual situation in Syria, with yankee and other foreign occupiers maps.
P.S. – SAA never said that there isn’t a ISIS pockett on the Homs/Deir ez Zor desert, but that is already Central Syria. About the pretense little pockett northwest of al-Safa, I suggest that you ask your SAA sources if that thing exists or not.
I agree, but its difficult to compare. As I recall it the Russians make maps mainly making fighting zones and we hardly see any american maps.
I see many parts fx the one You mention as contested telling that none has 24/7 control. Those is much bigger then the dot, You see. A dot like that also can say fx ISIS there are weak and by that cant go nowhere but are difficult to eliminate. So its a “waiter”.
There were about 1,500 terrorists in this area at the beginning of the SAA operation several months ago, 270 of them were eliminated, well, where are the rest of the terrorists ? Did they move to Al Tanf ? or what ? North to AL Tanaf there is a black pocket, are there still terrorists ? If there are, WHY ? this would be incredible due the supposed STRONG SAA operations in this area.
You have to learn those numbers as they are. SAA normally give very much too high numbers for ISIS.
As an example SAA told ISIS retook Palmyra with 2000 soldiers. Some expert told it most likely was 500 or a litlle more. That was the last time ISIS took it and also included 20 armed vehicles.
I dont say its 1 : 4. but 1.500 probarly is far too high.
270 are only the so far found dead ones of ISIS and they have captured as I reacall it at least some bunches. So SAA probatly will find graves or has found but not digged for numbers yet.
So its “between and probatly closer to 275 then to 1.500.
And AGAIN AGAIN: Those ISISs has nothing to do with Al Tanf at all. Since ISIS got out of hand Al Tanf has be enemy of ISIS blocking their transportation. Thats the main reason for the was made.
Why do You and others write that crap again and again.
Al Tanf is a very weak strongpoint for FSAs and semi-FSAs. hardly having any support apart from Al Tanf.
One group could not fight anymore and after that kind of collapse are evakuated to the SDF territory as non fighters close to Hasaka or Shaddady. But those SDFs wont fight as SDFs as well as the SDFs will fight for Sharia and no sekularisme.
The rest at Tanf are fine soldiers but not many. I can give no numbers 500, 200, 75, 50 ? But thats enough for Al Tanf as scouting guards. I have herd nt´othing about they should be added fx from the refugee camp there.
I just happen to see this close up pic of this tank and it occured to me that I have never saw the syrian tank crews employ effectively the smoke grenades that the tanks come equipped with. There were numerous situation in open terrains where the use of smoke screen could have saved the SAA a tank or two ( and the crew) by shielding them from the infrared detection signals of the income ATM. But given the substandard use of military equipment of the SSA throughout the conflict, I should perhaps not be surprised.
Thats crap of first class. I dont like Assads, and if You want it, I will recommend You as a general there.
It might even be much better tanks are very visible, if they fx know ISIS has no hard stuff against them.
Soon the MSM mantra……Putin is behind.
More Russian propaganda. They might as well claim 270,000 ISIS fighters were killed. It is surprising that with 270 killed not one body was found. Where are the wounded? Where are those taken prisoner?
The truth about al Safa has already been reported here. They did not fight al Safa ISIS, instead they resupplied them and then let them go after having them completely surrounded for almost a year. After letting them go SAA retreated from al Safa to Damascus claiming to fight ISIS in Damascus. What a joke, a very sad joke at that.
I suspect ISIS has already returned to al Safa if they ever left In the first place.
Total misguided. Al Tanf is FSA/ semi FSA only and has been that for years.
What does al Tanf have to do with anything. SAA is not attacking refugees in al Tanf. US is only one killing ISIS around al Tanf. US is using their HIMRAS toy to kill ISIS around al Tanf. Hope they use one of those toys on ISIS at the Euphrates. Must be why they are extracting the innocents because HIMRAS kills everything.
Most normal people on a map can see the difference having free transportation there and mainly for ISIS free cruising by first class road Iraq, Saudi-Arabia, Jordan, Syria and even some Lebanon.
If it was for nothing USA and Britts wasnt there. There os no population apart from the small refugees group and some few druse.
Your socalled toy today is the SDF territory but even so blamed for not defeating the pocket and very much blamed for not rejoining Assads, which was the main target for USA(and fx mý Goverment). ……………………………………………………..
And things has changed. USA knew it would be very difficult to join Kurds and Arabs(FSA) along Eufrat from Tabqa to Abu Kamal as well as parts of close to Palmyra and Jordan.
That failed, so USA is in an alternative plan, where FSAs hardly are there and certainly run nothing. Only the arabs in SDF are some and the tribers along Eufrat are their own as they want and hope.
But, but Assads now controlles to many tribe areas well helped by affiliates or bacause of them. ……………………………………………
As many others I dont understand whats really going on at the haijin Abu Kamal pocket. It semes ISIS send leftover to the deserts there as spoilers as well as SDFs are not heavy troops even supported well by Iraq and others in the coalision.
But I am not worried. Time is time. Even You want it very much, You cant boil an egg in 1/2 a minute. Heat seemes ok there, but a much bigger egg then expected.
I did expect big problems and a very fortified last stand filled with veteran first class soldiers having nowhere else to go apart from upstairs.
It seemes like SDFs by YPGs helping very much has been no real mach for the defence zone.
ISIS behave like one big castle also made to posses a lot outide it. ————————————
It reminds me about an imaginary film, where Saladin takes Jerusalem, but are chocked over the clever resistance.
Idlib had a castle like that too as crusader name. Muslims finally took it by hard digging and being more clever then the castle builders.
Many good pictures and beautilfull ruins. Thats the idlib one… https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/6e0319beec448a494a158a0a711c14183d36695e967e2962ee309be890fe5f00.jpg
Assad had al Safa ISIS surrounded for almost a year and just let them go after re-supplying them with at least 4 truckloads of drugs, money, ammunition and arms. We all know ISIS is working for Assad and Erdogan. How do you expect anyone to take this propaganda about Assad fighting ISIS seriously?
I afraid thats a “Assad” surrounding. Its impossible to be shoulder by shoulder for many kilometers.
The best joke abput that was, that Assads told Al Bab now was surrounded. It meant they have taken the last aspalt road.
The next 24 hours ISIS took in 300 to 500 soldiers in by the low terrain having no roads and FSA and Turks had to regain control of Al Bab.
Trucks are not needed for that. Soldiers often have 50 kilo with them. I do not know about trucks, but I do know there was hostages civilians as well as soldiers.
The “We all know” is a relative during time. I am sure none of them are helpers of ISIS today. It also would be impossible to help on down there.
Only more locals could do that at all. I think Israel could because they have the tech for it. But I dont think they like fanatic Jihadists that much.
How long time will need the SAA to eliminate 270 000 IDF soldiers?
So far 500,000 Syrians dead and not even one IDF soldier. So the SAA will be gone long before even a carload of IDF soldiers are bruised. On the other hand if SAA keeps shooting down Russian planes they may not even make it to 2020.
Note, in February Syrian military shot down an IAF F-16, the carcass crashed inside of Israel, of the two ejecting pilots one survived, and the other sustained fatal injuries.
So your argument is IDF 500,000 to SAA 1. If you really believe those odds give SAA a better chance you need some basic math skills.
Actually, just correcting your inaccurate, lazy and false claims.