Syrian commandos prepare to seize the entire Turkish border with Latakia

Since the start of their large-scale offensive inside the Latakia Governorate’s northern countryside in October 2015, the Syrian Arab Army’s 103rd Brigade (commandos) of the Republican Guard has concentrated their efforts on recapturing the imperative border-crossings into both Turkey and the Idlib Governorate.

In a matter of weeks, the Syrian Arab Army’s 103rd Brigade was advancing towards the primary rebel strongholds in the Latakia Governorate, capturing every hilltop and village in sight. While their journey through the mountainous terrain of Latakia was no doubt difficult, they remained steadfast in their endeavor to capture the Turkish border from the extremist rebels of Jabhat Al-Nusra (Syrian Al-Qaeda group) and the Free Syrian Army (FSA).

On Thursday evening, the Syrian Arab Army’s 103rd Brigade – backed by the Syrian Marines, Liwaa Suqour Al-Sahra (Desert Hawks Brigade), the National Defense Forces (NDF), and the Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP) – finally reached the last peaks before the Jabal Al-Akrad (Kurdish Mountains) border-crossing into Turkey.

The Syrian Armed Forces advanced to the last villages on the border, staking their positions for the final assault to seize the ‘Ayn Al-Bayda and several other sites that provide access into Turkey. Now, just 3 km south of the Turkish border with Jabal Al-Akrad, the Syrian Armed Forces prepare for what will ultimately be the final assault before completely seizing the Latakia crossings.