ISIS and al-Qaeda have used the recent break in counter-terrorist operations across Syria to re-group and expand their activity.
Over the past two weeks, ISIS cells operating in the Homs-Deir Ezzor desert carried out several successful attacks on positions and convoys of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and its allies. At least two dozens of pro-government fighters were killed and several vehicles were eliminated or captured by ISIS terrorists. The ISIS linked news agency Amaq released a series of photos showcasing the terrorist group’s successes in the area.
The expanded ISIS activity in the Homs-Deir Ezzor desert has recently become a significant issue for pro-government forces. So far, the SAA and its allies have not employed comprehensive measures to get rid of ISIS cells in the desert. If the situation remains same, ISIS will continue attacks on SAA positions and convoys and may even expand its influence in this part of Syria further.
ISIS cells continued planting IEDs and conducting ambushes on the eastern bank of the Euphrates. For example, on April 27, a car bomb exploded near barracks of the Syrian Democratic Forces in the city of Raqqah.
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, Horas al-Din, Ahrar al-Sham and other radical groups have also intensified operations. On April 26 and April 28, militants shelled the government-held area in the province of Lattakia, including Russia’s Hmeimim airbase, with unguided rockets.
HTS attacked SAA positions in western Aleppo. A spokesman for HTS claimed that that 45 SAA soldiers and officers were killed during the clashes. These claims were denounced by military sources contacted by SouthFront. According to the sources, the SAA did not suffer from notable casualties while HTS lost several fighters. Despites this, the situation in the area remains tense.
Militant actions triggered a fierce response from the SAA and the Russian Aerospace Forces. The SAA launched a OTR-21 Tochka tactical ballistic missile at a unidentified target near the town of Benin in southern Idlib. Russian aircraft pounded terrorist positions near Kansafra, Almaouzrah, al-Sheikh Idris, Tell Huwash and nearby points. Pro-militant sources said that these actions are a blatant violation of the ceasefire regime.
In the afternoon of April 28, the Tabqah crossing, which links the government-held areas with the territories controlled by the self-administration in northeastern Syria, witnessed unusually tensions between the SAA and the SDF. According to a report by the North Press Agency, units of the SDF attempt to dig a deep trench near the crossing. This uncoordinated move provoked a response from the SAA, that advanced towards some positions in a nearby empty area known as Hawrat al-Jriat.
The crossing was closed after this incident. Attack Helicopters of the US-led coalition were seen flying over the area. The incident was exaggerated by some media outlets, which claimed that the SAA made advances against the SDF. However, all developments in fact happened in the no-man land.
In the mean time, Russia and Syria are successfully carrying out the US-opposed evacuation of the Rukban Death Camp near at Tanf. The US is crying because the conditions – just like everywhere else in Syria – are to settle one’s status with the Syrian government and register. US, Canadian and European ISIS brides obviously cannot do this and would be deported, so they choose to remain in the camp until the US defeats Syria. So, forever, I guess. Same thing with other foreign ‘freedom fighters’ the US finds useful. Some Syrian head-choppers accused of war crimes don’t want to turn themselves over, so they will never leave. The UN said that 80% DO want to leave, though. Only somewhere around 7,000 want to stay there.
Only about 20% of the camp’s detainees have left recently due to the Syrian/Russian effort. They have settled their status as Syrian citizens and are headed home or to relative’s homes. That means there’s still over 20,000 that want to leave, but haven’t yet.
After all this time, the UN suddenly wants to flood the camp with humanitarian aid and services, enticing the 20,000 hostages to stay there among the 7,000 or so foreign head-choppers. Syria and Russia said ‘bullshit’ – Syrians belong in Syria, the non-Syrians in Rukban don’t belong in Syria at all. Time to end this hostage charade at the death camp. Now the US and UN are crying – after all this time – how horrible the conditions are and that Syria and Russia are preventing aid delivery. What the US and coalition partners are really doing is kicking off their last, desperate Save Our Headchoppers’ Hostages Campaign. Nobody is paying attention.
I’ve been paying attention and I agree totally with nearly everything you asserted, up until Isis and the FSA were kicked out of the area there were only about 7,000 refugees in the camp, within 12 months that number had risen to nearly 50,000, and I think most if not all the extras were just ex FSA and Isis fighters and their extended families. So I think perhaps it’s only about 7 to 10,000 genuine refugees, and possibly all the rest are just terrorists and their families. I hope Assad vets them all very rigorously, he’s already having problems in Daraa and Quneitra with ex terrorists slipping through the cracks, Syria doesn’t need any more so called refugees causing even more trouble.
Whoa!The are issues that sound solid and make sense in your story dude. Keep comments flowing and don’t stop.
The US….. a Khazarian fake-‘semite’-ruled nation…. is just as evil as the Zionist tyranny in Palestine and Israhell. There can be but one response to such never-ending evil….
What a schizophrenic turn of circumstances we have here now, one statement from Putin says there will be a political settlement for Idlib, and a few days later Lavrov says Assad has the right to end the militants occupation of Idlib. “The Syrian government has every right to protect people living in the country, including Idlib province, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a press conference on Monday”. AMN news. I prefer what Lavrov said and what Assad’s been saying all along, “All uninvited foreign troops must leave Syria”, and when they do, we’ll sort out the mess ourselves. I suggest everyone pays attention to this new constitutional drafting and the resolution 2254 that’s being brokered by Putin, everyone seems to think the free and fair elections that will be held after the hostilities end will be a good thing, but I’m suggesting otherwise. I think some of us should reread those proposals a little more diligently, especially who will be chosen to rewrite the constitution and what their motives will be. A new constitution and free and fair elections, sound so good, but only for the US and the EU, not Assad, he knows the elections won’t be free and fair at all, they’ll be very unfair. Money talks in US politics and it will in Syria too, straight after the new constitution is announced and implemented. Good men don’t last long being conscientious and fair in this world, bye bye Assad.
assad aint going anywhere
I hope to God you’re right, I don’t have to many people I think of as heroic, but Assad I do, losing him and having a US puppet government take his place would be the worst thing that could happen to the Syrian people, but I’m nowhere near as confident as you are about it, I already fear the worst.
No do not fear
i must go into the woods and face my enemies and the enemies of generations of my people even the children could be in danger out here something in which i am looking personally into nevertheless i pray you holy warriors of the world continue to fight the righeous fight and wipe out the occultist backed enemies of our world i salute all who fight for their home lands and peoples so as you do not end up like my people and i have.Go with God holy defenders.I had many attempts on my life of late i must stand and fight em or they won’t stop i have my own war to attend to for now world when i am done or dead i shall return fully again to assist OKA HEY!!!