If you’re able, and if you like our content and approach, please support the project. Our work wouldn’t be possible without your help: PayPal: southfront@list.ru or via: http://southfront.org/donate/ or via: https://www.patreon.com/southfront
Voiceover by Harold Hoover
The Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) have liberated nine more villages from ISIS near the recently liberated town of al-Baaj at the border with Syria.
The PMU liberated Tuman, Raqba al-Faras, Tali’a al-Markab, Khurba al-‘Ridha, Bir ‘S’ebi, Sherji al-Rawi, Hamad Madlul, ‘Lia, and Marzuga.
According to different sources, from 35 to 47 ISIS members died in the recent clashes. The PMU also destroyed 4 VBIEDs and captured a T-72 battle tank and 3 vehicles equipped with 23mm guns.
The Badr Organization, one of the PMU factions, also released a statement adding that the al-Waleed border crossing located in the Iraqi province of Anbar is a strategic target of the PMU advance.
The PMU border operation against ISIS may contribute to anti-terrorist efforts in Syria and will impact positively a possible government advance on the city of Deir Ezzor besieged by ISIS terrorists.
Earlier this week ISIS terrorists in Deir Ezzor received large reinforcements and now they are attacking government troops in the area. The goal is to capture the strategic 137th Base that is a key army defense site south of Deir Ezzor. ISIS terrorists are clashing with the Syrian army for key hills near the Panorama Roundabout.
The Syrian Army Tiger Forces continued crushing ISIS in the province of Aleppo. They have liberated a number of points south of Maskanah, including the villages of Rasm Falah, al-Bakri, Al-Jawim, and Khirbat Shuwaym. Most likely, the advance will further develop in order to clear the whole province from ISIS terrorists.
Separately, the army liberated the villages of al-Hijanah and Rasm al-Tina from ISIS near the town of Ithriyah. Government troops also attacked ISIS units near Barghutiyah located east of the government-held city of Salamiyah. A success in this area may allow government forces to clear from terrorists the road between Salamiyah and the Tiyas Airbase.
The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have captured a large number of villages, including Shayb al-Awaj, Mazraat Qahtaniyah, al-Adnaniyah, Bir al-Hashim and Sukhuriyah, Khatuniyah, Hawi Hawa, and Mazraat Rabia, in the western countryside of Raqqah.
Local sources reported that there had been almost no ISIS members in the area. Most likely, the terrorist group is now able to defend only its self-proclaimed capital. Furthermore, many ISIS members had been redeployed from Raqqah for the operation in Deir Ezzor.
Tiger Forces , rolling along the river to Deir Ezzor .
I do like that the PMU stated their goal is the al Waleed crossing , this is the Iraqi crossing , across from al Tanaf .
Yes, a large Iraqi military force striking north from ar-Rutbah would be great.
Fantasy on speed.
No, they are not. They are advancing slowly in a safe way. They can never support a supportline to Raqqa from there ás well and has to take many not so small villages before that.
Realism pls.
of course they must fight their way unlike the US backed ones, that make agreements with ISIS. Which does realistically give out how many hopes the US and other civilized and democratic countries had put on using ISIS to topple Assad.
Well again. Your “No trace of ISIS” is far out. Same somg from You. They take only dersert, hamlets vilages – hard figtings are ignores, because they dont put it up at some lowlife Assads are meeting some good from ISIS being hundreds od´r tens and not “t h o u s e n s”.
You ignore casualties from SDF. When weapons are taken in small bunches its hahahaah. If You see hundreds of mortergrenateds – its ignored in comments.
Now they are blamed have made a corridor for ISIS out. But it started with 360 degreees were free and now its less then 180. Its well known that blocking a town make defenders more desperate and make bigger loses for the civilians, but some demand that. In the other hand USA(which actuely are with many orther nations) are blamed for killing too many civilians.
SDF is slow, make slow advances – but in the same time has taken to much land back from ISIS. Assads and FSA hasnt. And a few hours again: Kurds will take all they want and make themselves a state based on oil. Well the fact is – like in Iraq – that the poor ones hasnt got much oil money, but Damaskusses as well as bagdads has done its worst to take all. So thats upside down – too.
So many blame kurds – now being in same defence with others and rising and all is done to make them delayed and infected eevemn having Turks bombarding and invading. Kurds wasnt even in the uprise and are not but kind of neutral.
In the most infantile way its as usual. All was fine if Kurds, Jews and USA wasnt there. You even go back 1800 years in lousy ecomy and resistance against Islam. At that time there was many jews and christians where Islam was introduced and majority. The rest was probatly kind of Baal or kind of Shamans. So it was a majority, which defended themselves against the new invension.
You even deny kurds has been there before most others and certainly before any Turks even its proved by old history in writing, archealogy says at least 4.000 years and DNA/Haplo confirm the mix up of today.
I got tired of reading after the first paragraph, try to use a fucking auto-correcting text editor if you can’t write english words properly. I’m not a grammar nazi but words like “mortergreneds” give me sore eyes.
Anyway, I don’t remember actually discussing with you any of the issue you brought up on older comments, in fact I discussed them with other users.
Since you are admitting those users were actually you, the only word that comes to mind is “Troll”, certainly not “russian-paid”, and certainly trying up to fuck with minds of young people who fight the good fight against cleptocracy, wahabism, erdoganism and zionism.
Kleptocracy.
I only use my own ID here.
What civilised and democratic countries? The US isn’t either.
maybe I should use something like :
*Irony mode ON* and *Irony mode OFF*
so:
*irony mode ON* The US and the west in general are civilized and democratic countries. *irony mode OFF*
Hope it’s clear now.
May I compliment Sir on such an elegant riposte? ;o)
nice.
The North-East and South-West parts around Deir EZor are just desert ¿ right? Then, what I do not understand about Russia airspace force is the following. Russia can see any movement of groups or tanks or army day and night (it just has the technology to do that, point), then why Russia simply uses kirby missiles, planes and helicopters (with night vision) to annihilate these terrorists. My guess is that Russia do not have enough planes, enough helicopters, enough missiles to do this ¿ am I wrong ?, or maybe Russia does not want to scare USA-NATO…. I really do not know.
it has released videos from strikes on open field…desert….oil trucks etc were hit…..but only a few…..Russia has announced that it will not permit isis to leave Raqqah and move elsewere (Deir EZor obviously) but i cannot see that……
When ISIL made an agreement to leave Raqqa with the SDF then the SDF did not capture any ISIL controlled areas, typical US and Kurds stunt to claim victory when it is more like a traitorous act sending ISIL towards the Syrian army. Erdogan needs to smash the Kurds they do not deserve even to be citizens of Syria.
Obviously the fight is moving to Deir Ezzor. Raqqah is a lost cause for ISIS. They have handed it over to the Kurds. A victory for the media. Propaganda about the brave soldiers that US has armed etc etc. So everyone is happy. The kurds won a huge victory (without firing a single shot), a huge boost for morale and also establish the bases for their future state, the US has won a major victory against ISIS (with just dropping a couple of bombs on the desert), isis will continue to fight were it is told to….the only one who is a loser in this case?Syrian army. They will continue their fight in Deir Ezzor facing isis massive reinforcements from all over the ‘defeated’ fronts. Its of critical importance to hit them on open ground (air strikes) when they flee Raqqah and other places…..
When ISIS recently evacuated huge areas south west and south of Palmyra it was a “huge victory” for the SAA. I didn’t here you complaining about that as being SAA propaganda. These evacuations have come about because of pressure on ISIS from various directions including from the SAA. The main pressure on ISIS though has come from US backed SDF in Kobane, in Manbij, in Tabqa and now in Raqqa . In addition there is huge pressure from US supported Iraqi forces in Mosul. The two biggest political, military, logistic, religious hubs for ISIS (Raqqa and Mosul) are about to fall and the US has had a major role in both outcomes.
The US backed the Kurds because Kobane showed they would fight at a time when the SAA and the Iraqis were running scared from ISIS. The US has backed the Kurds/SDF ever since. Yes the SDF has tried to negotiate an ISIS withdrawal from Raqqa. Why wouldn’t they? It saves SDF lives and still makes ISIS much weaker wherever it runs too.The SAA negotiates swaps with its enemies all the time. This is how war is fought in Syria. If Deir es-Zur falls the SAA will have much of the blame. It has sat just outside of Palmyra for months always choosing other areas of operation as having priority.
The SAA fights in countless fronts. So a strategy must be followed, The US is said to be fighting ISIS in Syria for how long?3-4 years now?WHat have they succeeded?The ISIS state in IRAQ and Syria. I dont really complain about the negotiations betweeb ISIS and the SDF. They are right to do that to save lives. BUT. Raqqah was a perfect place to start the new strategy president Trump anounced. ‘eliminate ISIS, dont just defeat them and let them run away’.am i wrong?didnt he say that?with Raqqah encircled it could be a complete bloodbath for ISIS.dont we ALL want that?to me obviously not. the US has to much politics involved in the area. The idea is to win a major publicity victory (raqqah the ismamic states capital) and to put huge pressure as wqell to the SAA by leting terrosits leave Raqqah and move elsewere. The best move the US has done is to help the SDF. They are born fighters. i admire them a lot. to sum up…..The US has not been very affective in 3 years of fighting ISIS just because it suited their political goals (to get rid of assad). They chose to fund radical terrorists that just said ‘we are not isis we are the good ones ‘. major political defeat there.need i remind you the killing of an inoccent boy just 10 years old (decapitated) for being a spy by us backed forces?the US has learned nothing by its mistakes. history lessons taht is…..in Afganistan for example…they funded radicals to fight a proxy war with Russia…they paid you back with the twin towers. Now you still cannot acount for millions of taxpayers dollars of weapons…they are lost…you gave them to the good terrorists….now they dont have them?who does?So lets look at facts and not just general talking about who has done what ….
Everyone wants ISIS totally eliminated [by encircling Raqqa]….except perhaps the SDF who would pay for this tactic with their own blood. No matter what Trump says the boots on the ground get a vote. Realistically if ISIS departs for elsewhere in Syria it is likely to be someone else’s problem rather than an SDF problem. The SDF may well feel they have done more than their fair share of the anti-ISIS fighting so far.
correct i totally agree
I find it hard to believe that with massive US air power just next door to Raqqa and 90% encirclement, neat and clean IS columns day after day driving south out of town, USA would really be fighting IS. Versus Russians fly across the frigging country to bomb their columns.
They could deal a massive blow, instead they let them live and go to Deir Ezzor, and some terrorists return to Europe or other places they came from more skillful and crazy than ever before. What US is really doing is throwing as much obstacles as possible in the way of the Syrian army and allies to restore national sovereignty. US allied FSA does nothing but attack SAA in the Syrian desert as well, instead of IS front. The truth is, IS is a temporary placeholder for future Israel/US invasion.
The US and its coalition allies do about 1600-1700 aircraft sorties a month over both Syria and over Iraq. That’s about 50-60 per day. Only about 60% of those sorties drop weapons. They need to fly huge distances to get to Raqqa. Most missions are flown from Incirlik, Turkey (210 miles); Ahmed Al-Jaber Air Base, Kuwait (700 miles); Al-Udeid Air Base, Qatar (1000 miles) and Al-Minhad Air Base, UAE (1200 miles). These huge distances restrict loiter time. The end result is about 15-25 strikes per day in the Raqqa area – not enough to seal off the southern escape route especially if ISIS chooses not to escape in huge columns which seems likely.
wish i could give you money southfront, all i can do is recommend you
Well, it is like this – who needs peace in Syria? Be honest. Does the USA need peace in Syria? And, how long does anyone think the USA will leave leadership in Iraq alone, esp considering it is not doing what the USA wants? And, who can stop the USA, whatever it wants to do, in Iraq, incl. at the Syrian border? Syria is already toast, so the USA does not need to stop the bleeding, spending, it is not in the USA interest whatsoever. Assad and the Russians want peace, well, perhaps, they need peace. The USA does not. All it needs is a symbolic victory over ISIS here and there. Anyone thinking the USA will retreat is incorrect – the USA has been in a state of retreat for years. Now, it is more like, bleed….