Syrian Army and terrorists trade blows in southwest Syria
Contingents from the Al-Qaeda linked “Al-Nusra Front (Jabhat Al-Nusra) and Free Syrian Army (FSA) terrorists carried out a number of attacks on the Syrian Arab Army’s 5th and 7th Divisions inside the strategic city of Sheikh Miskeen and on the outskirts of Brigade 82 located in the province of Dara’a on Saturday morning. While both sides were engaged in fierce clashes for most of the day, there was no change on the ground, as the loyalist forces were able to maintain their defensive positions at Brigade 82 and the East District of Sheikh Miskeen.
To combat the terrorist offensive in west Dara’a, the Syrian Arab Air Force (SAAF) conducted 2 dozen airstrikes on Saturday, targeting terrorist positions near the cities of Jasseem, Inkhil, and Sheikh Miskeen. The SAAF relentlessly targeted rebel supply routes to these besieged cities in order to disrupt the flow of weapons and ammunition to the militants entrenched in the targeted areas.
According to a military source in Dara’a, a number of militants were killed on Saturday, including Mohammad Moussa (AKA “Abu Zayd), Mohammad Jamaal (AKA “Abu Jaysh”), and Mohammad ‘Alyyaan. Meanwhile, the source confirmed the death of 8 loyalist fighters; this included 3 SAA soldiers and 5 members of the National Defense Forces (NDF)
Al-Quneitra:
The Syrian Arab Army’s 9th Infantry Division – in cooperation with the NDF and Hezbollah (Party of God) – continued their offensive in east Al-Quneitra, attacking a number of Al-Nusra Front militants inside the city of Mosahra. The fierce attacks have bolstered the loyalist positions in the city and resulted in the death of 47 militants in the last 72 hours. The fighting is intense, with both sides unwilling to concede any territory; however, the loyalists are on the move in the east after they achieved a breakthrough near the city’s orchards.
According to a military source in the NDF, the loyalist forces killed the following Al-Nusra Front members in the city of Mosahra: “Abu Yousif”, “Abu ‘Abdo”, “Abu ‘Ajaaj”, and “Abu Musa’ab Al-Ghannouji”.
The loyalist forces did not stop at Mosahra, they furthered their progress in the city of ‘Umm Batna after targeting numerous “Liwaa Seif Al-Islam” (Sword of Islam Brigades) and Al-Nusra Front positions on the outskirts of this area. A military source added that 13 militants were killed during the operations, including “Mohammad ‘Abdel-Nour Al-‘Ajaami”, “Bilaal Milhelm Abu Fadi”, “Ismaa’eel Da’oud Al-Hosni”, and “Ahmad Abu Bakr Al-Rasheed”.
