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The article is provided by Islamic World News exclusively for SouthFront
The situation in Al-Qaryatayn city remains complicated despite the recent deployment of the Syrian Arab Amry (SAA) and the National Defense Forces (NDF) in the area to re-take the city from ISIS cells.
ISIS sleeper cells took control of Al-Qaryatayn during the recent large-scale ISIS attack against government forces along the Palmyra-Deir Ezzor highway.
According to field sources, 16 ISIS members entered the city on Friday evening and with a help of unknown number of ISIS supporters inside the city got weapons and explosives. Reports suggest that the ISIS supporters were members of the NDF stationed in the city.
At the dawn of the next dayy, the ISIS attacl started with two car bombs. The attack started in the southern entrance of the city and 15 ISIS members entered it uniting with and 22 ISIS supporters remaining inside. The ISIS terrorists started killing and taking hostages.
Government forces were pushed to withdraw from Al-Qaryatayn and besieged it. Then, government reinforcements arrived the area and started entering the city.
Following this the internet and the roads to the city were cut off and the ISIS members lost ability to communicate with the outside world. This explains a lack of photos, videos and reprots from the area.
Government forces are now working to drive ISIS members out from Al-Qaryatayn.
City taken by a whole 16 IS? Aided by a few SAA related NDF “fighters”? So in fact SAA fighting against itself?
SAA not able to take back a city against such small numbers?
What is going on there?
Not the propaganda as the propaganda does not fit the situation as it is.
It’s so far behind the frontline I would be surprised if there was any SAA military presence in that town. So NDF only probably. This action appears a lot like what happened in the Philippines. Where ISIS also took over a town with local help. And with the ISIS offensive around Sukhnah, the SAA offensives towards Mayadin and along the Jordanian border, the SAA is probably a little low on decent troops that could clear this town, and not shit their pants, throw away their guns and run for the hills at the first sign of trouble.
We could probably see more of these attacks. Chances are that a lot of ISIS troops that were inside the East Hama/Homs sailiant and current pocket, have run to ground and are laying low, just for attacks like these.
The blockade is fine, the SAA should not attack but rest. The siege can last days, weeks, months – but obviously water and food will be needed which should not be supplied.
Al-Qaryatayn is already know as an ISIS sympathetic town, so let it be.
If the SAA want to fight, use snipers and take 1 or 2 out a day.
They ran suicide attacks which were all killed so far and not sure if the group were actual NDF but US supplied ISIS forces in their uniforms. The US claimed they would ensure them and ISIS remained around, and this could be how they intend to remain around. The ease of the copying the uniforms wouldn’t be an issue, the SDF said ISIS used SDF uniforms and started attacking them a while back.
This sounds more like a PKK tactic they used to use to infiltrate Turkish positions communications would be limited and sneaking in forces would be no problem during the chaos, works for a short time.
you are bullshitmaster!
$5 says there will be a “”””chemical attack”””” in this town by the hands of evil child-devouring Assad, the Bloodthirsty eye surgeon.
No, that only happens in places that has Western paid White Helmets, a.k.a. the Jihadi Medical Brigade. When you’re staging such an attack you need a credible audience/witnesses. And by credible I mean in the eyes of the West.
Good thinking! But still, the lack of news from the region could be also used as a credible “lack of audience/witness”. They can just stage some photos in the mojave and say it was a gas attack. The masses and the msm wouldn’t care enough to look for real evidence.
Look, the most likely location of a chemical attack is in Kurdish occupied territory. It’s in the script in order to make the Kurds fight Israel’s war.
I heard that he strangles puppies as well, the bastard.
LOL. The mad dog ophthalmologist! Scourge of the eastern Mediterranean.
New Eastern had an interesting article on the situation in Syria https://journal-neo.org/2017/10/03/how-washington-found-itself-in-bed-with-isis/ There basic take is that ISIS is able to make a series of small attacks all over Syria preventing the SAA from being able to concentrate their forces. Of course they propose that they are abetted by the U.S., a common belief among many here.
In any case, I hope the SAA and allies can get a handle on the situation. Al-Qaryatayn was one of the few small cities that used to have a large Christian population and was liberated the first time the SAA liberated Palmyra. It’s sad to think that the population has to live in fear that these monsters have the ability to still make surprise attacks. Even if they get pushed out quickly, this will scar people and make them lose confidence.
I think you put things rather well, thanks. Although these tactics divert the Syrians they make the remaining US head-chopping, heart-eating rapers a wasting asset.
They don’t care by now, they know Syria is a loss for them, so they are jUst trying to reach fro time.
The situation is complicated because the city does not have strong SAA presence,and the terrorists that took over are a very small % of the population as a whole.A lot of civilians in there,so very meticilous research is required as to who the militants are and what the plan of action should be as they are certainly holding a lot of hostages as human shields.If the Army were to disregard civilian life and not differentiate between innocent civilians and militants,they could run over the town and take it in 1-2 hours
i heard SAA has the town surrounded. they could also airdrop troops in can they not?