Several ISIS terrorists killed as Syrian troops liberate a dozen more towns in southwest Syria

AMN
Tue, 24 Jul 2018 11:58 UTC

The Islamic State affiliated Jaysh Khaled bin Walid forces suffered a major setback in southwest Syria on Monday, resulting in the loss of several areas to the Syrian Arab Army (SAA).

Led by the Tiger Forces, the Syrian Arab Army began their attack on Monday by storming several towns in the the Yarmouk Basin of southwest Syria.

Following a series of intense clashes, the Syrian Arab Army managed to break through the Islamic State's lines and liberate a large a dozen towns in the Yarmouk Basin.

According to a military source in Daraa, the Syrian Arab Army liberated the towns of Mahar, Rafid, Hiran Janoubi, Hiran Shamali, Rasm Hassan, Mudawarat, Mahyubiu, Rasem Zaerurat, Muallaqah, Ghadir Bustan, Abu Tynt, Abu Hashaw Mushidat, and Umm Luqas.

All of these liberated towns are located in the northwestern corridor of the Daraa

The military source added that Jaysh Khaled bin Walid suffered heavy losses during yesterday's battle, with most of the terrorist group's casualties coming as a result of the Russian Aerospace Forces' powerful airstrikes.

Despite these large-scale gains by the Syrian Arab Army, the Yarmouk Basin region is still mostly under the control of the Islamic State terrorists.

In the coming days, the Syrian Army should be able to shrink the Islamic State's pocket in half, as they continue to advance through the terrorist group's defenses.

Comment: South Front provides an overview of the current situation in Syria:

This map provides a general look at the military situation in Syria on July 23, 2018:

• Pro-government forces entered a final stage of retaking parts of southern Syria, which had been controlled by the Free Syrian Army and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra, the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda). Currently, they are finalizing their operation to recover weapons from the surrendered militants and to secure the recent gains. After this, government forces will start working to liberate the small area controlled by ISIS east of the Golan Heights.
• Most of civilians and members of the National Defense Forces (NDF) evacuated from the villages of al-Fu'ah and Kafriya in eastern Idlib. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and its allies entered the area.
• Reports are appearing that the Syrian Army and its allies are preparing a military operation against militants in northern Latakia and southern Idlib. This area is used by militants to launch armed UAVs at Russian military facilities in the province of Latakia.
• The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are slowly developing their operation against ISIS in the border area with Iraq.

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