Syrian Army Special Forces Sweep Through the Hills Surrounding the Strategic City of Salma

The Syrian Arab Army’s Special Forces have surprised the Islamist rebels of the Free Syrian Army’s “1st Coastal Brigades” and the Syrian Al-Qaeda group “Jabhat Al-Nusra” with their recent advances in Jabal Al-Akrad (Kurdish Mountains) after spending only two weeks on the offensive at this front in the Latakia Governorate’s northeastern countryside.

On Saturday morning, the SAA’s Special Forces – in coordination with the Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP), the National Defense Forces (NDF), and Muqawama Souri (Syrian Resistance) – continued their operations in Jabal Al-Akrad, targeting Jabhat Al-Nusra’s defensive positions at the northern axis of Kataf Al-Ghaddar; this aforementioned site was recently captured by the Syrian Armed Forces earlier this week.

Considered one of the most important mountaintops in Jabal Al-Akrad, the Syrian Arab Army and the National Defense Forces spent almost two years trying to capture this site from the Islamist rebels; however, they were relatively unsuccessful up until recently, when they finally broke-through Jabhat Al-Nusra’s frontlines.

In addition to the capture of Kataf Al-Ghaddar, the Syrian Arab Army’s Special Forces have advanced inside the strategic city of Salma, capturing several building blocks and hilltops from the Islamist rebels, while also minimizing their losses at this volatile front.

The city of Salma has become on the Russian Air Force’s primary targets due to its proximity to the rebel stronghold of Jisr Al-Shughour and its elevation that allows for the Islamist rebels to overlook the vast mountain area of northeast Latakia.