Syria in Past 24 Hours: Army Completes Siege on Terrorists’ Main Stronghold at Border with Iraq

Deir Ezzur

Sources said that the army soldiers and popular forces managed to prevail over the ISIL around Albu Kamal and encircled the town near the border with Iraq.

The sources further said that the Syrian pro-government forces have kicked off a fresh round of operations to enter the town.

Also on Wednesday, the Syrian Army troops stormed ISIL’s positions in the outskirts of Deir Ezzur city on Wednesday, laying siege on the terrorists in their large stronghold North of city.

The army men clashed fiercely with ISIL in Huwieja Kateh region, hitting their strongholds hard from the Eastern and Southern directions.

In the meantime, the army’s artillery and missile units shelled heavily ISIL’s positions in the region.

A military source said that 20 terrorists were killed in the army operation and the remaining pockets of the ISIL were trapped in the circle of government forces in Huweija Kateh.

The source further said that a large number of ISIL terrorists had fled Deir Ezzur to Huweija Kateh.

Also a military source reported on Wednesday that the Syrian Army’s elite forces kicked off an operation to free the ISIL-held town of Albu Kamal in Southeastern Deir Ezzur at the border with Iraq from the South of the town of al-Mayadeen.

The source said that the task forces deployed in the Sothern direction of al-Mayadeen started the Albu Kamal liberation operation.

The source further said that the elite forces engaged in a tough battle with ISIL South of the small town of Mahkan and managed to enter al-Qouriyeh, another small town.

In the meantime, the Russian and Syrian fighter jets pounded ISIL’s strongholds in the region.

The army, operating in South of al-Mayadeen, is 70 km away from Albu Kamal.

Homs

Over a hundred gunmen that had laid down arms and applied for amnesty received government pardoning in Northern Homs, well-informed official said on Wednesday.

The sources said that a sum of 120 gunmen that had surrendered to the army forces in the towns of Talbiseh and al-Rastan in Northern Homs received government amnesty and went back to everyday life within the framework of the reconciliation plan in the war-hit country.

Aleppo

 A fresh wave of tensions and infighting erupted among the terrorist groups in Northern Aleppo following the Syrian Army troops’ rapid advances in the Southeastern part of the province, media activists reported on Wednesday.

The sources said that the Al-Nusra Front (Tahrir al-Sham Hay’at or the Levant Liberation Board) and Nouralddeen al-Zinki terrorist groups have engaged in fierce clashes in Northern Aleppo, adding that the clashes broke out after the Al-Nusra stormed the command posts of Nouralddeen al-Zinki in the town of Bayanoun in Northern Aleppo and arrested a number of Al-Nusra fighters that had defected the group and joined to al-Zinki movement.

In the meantime, the towns and settlements of Dar al-Izzah, Oweijal, Haraytan and other Western and Northern regions in Aleppo province have faced the same tensions, causing both warring sides to put their forces on alert.

The sources further said that the gunmen of Nouralddeen al-Zinki have called for the release of their arrested members and threatened to hit the Al-Nusra positions if the latter refuses to free its members.

Also in the past 24 hours, hundreds of young people in Northeastern Aleppo that had been arrested by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) under a recruitment plan were freed after a popular uprising in the region.

The Arabic-language al-Manar news network reported that the SDF that had arrested hundreds of young people in the town of Manbij and its surroundings in Northeastern Aleppo in under a recruitment plan has been forced to free them in the last three days.

Al-Manar further said that the total number of arrested people stood at 600, adding that popular demonstration against the SDF’s move forced the latter to release the young people.

A military source said Wednesday that the Syrian Army forces drove Al-Nusra Front out of vast regions in Northern Hama and managed to restore security to a long chunk of the road connecting the town of Ithriya in Hama to the town of Khanasser in Aleppo.

The source said that the army men operating in Northern Hama stormed the Al-Nusra positions in an area stretching for about 30 km Northward along the road to Aleppo, and prevailed over the terrorists.

The source further said that the army men captured a vast region North of the towns of Ithriya and Sheikh Hilal.

The army units continued their operation to liberate the regions near the town of al-Rahjan to restore security to the key road of Hama-Aleppo, the source said, adding that the army captured several regions and villages in Northern Hama and restored security to the road connecting East of al-Sa’an to Ithriya in an area 15 km in depth.

The source also mentioned that 100 terrorists have been killed and a large number of vehicles and a large volume military equipment of Al-Nusra have been destroyed in the attack.

Damascus

Jeish al-Islam engaged in heavy fighting with the Faylaq al-Rahman rival terrorists in different regions in Damascus province, inflicting major losses on each other, dissident-affiliated websites reported on Wednesday.

The websites said that Jeish al-Islam terrorists and Faylaq al-Rahman militants exchanged heavy fire in al-Ash’ari reign and two settlements of Modir and Beit Sawa.

Faylaq al-Rahman’s Spokesman said that Jeish al-Islam attacked three positions of Faylaq in al-Ash’ari in Eastern Ghouta.

In the meantime, Spokesman for Jeish al-Islam Hamzeh Beiraqdar accused Faylaq al-Rahman of attacking Jeish al-Islam’s positons in Beit Sawa and al-Ash’ari.

Also on Wednesday, the Russian Reconciliation Center for Syria announced in its latest report that the Syrian Army and militant groups have reached an agreement within the framework of a de-escalation plan.

The Russian center based in Humeimim reported that the truce agreement between the army and militants was materialized via the mediatory role of the Russian center to narrow down clashes in Damascus area.

Hama

The Syrian Army troops kept marching on the positions of the Al-Nusra Front in Northeastern Hama on Wednesday.

The army men pushed Al-Nusra back from the small towns of Al-Baleel and Mariqab al-Jamlaneh that were the terrorist group’s most major strongholds in Northeastern Hama after al-Rahjan.

Also, the army soldiers managed to advance against the Al-Nusra near Tal Khazima and Um Turaykiyeh regions and fortified and stabilize their positions.

Also, on Wednesday, the Syrian Army troops stormed the strongholds of the Al-Nusra Front in Northern Hama, and imposed control another region in the embattled province.

The army men took control over the small but key town of Um Khazim after they seized control over the town of Baleel.

The army men killed a number of Al-Nusra terrorists and destroyed their military equipment.

Idlib

The Turkish Army dispatched a long convoy of military vehicles to the Northwestern province of Idlib, field reports said on Wednesday.

The sources said that the Turkish Army convoy reportedly entered Syria’s Idlib province via Hatay Province, adding that the convoy included several armored vehicles and military personnel.

They added that the Turkish military convoy further headed towards the Southwestern territories of Aleppo, where they deployed in an area close to the Afrin Canton.

The Afrin Canton is controlled by the Kurdish-led People’s Protection Units (YPG).