Exclusive: Veteran Syrian Army armored division sends big reinforcements to battle ISIS in south Damascus

According to sources exclusive to Al-Masdar News, assault units of the Syrian Army’s veteran 4th Mechanized Division are being diverted to the southern Damascus district of Al-Qadam to battle Islamic State forces there.

Al-Qadam has now seen a week of fierce clashes between the Syrian pro-government forces and ISIS, during which time both sides have suffered considerable losses.

Control of the district is generally thought to be about 50/50, although the Syrian Army has denied recent gains claimed by the terrorist group.

For the Syrian Army, its own high death toll (statistics here) in the Al-Qadam battle has now prompted it to send first-rate units to plug the gaps in its lines and drive back the Islamic State onslaught.

4th Mechanized Division is one of the most tested Syrian Army formations (alongside certain Republican Guard brigades) in the Damascus battle-space, with trials of fire against various militant groups going back to the earliest years of the Syrian conflict.