Syrian Army Special Forces Capture the Strategic Sugar Factory at the Outskirts of Jisr Al-Shughour

The Syrian Arab Army’s “Tiger Forces” – in coordination with the 87th Brigade of the 11th Tank Division and the National Defense Forces (NDF) – launched a fierce assault at the southern perimeter of the strategic Sugar Factory in Jisr Al-Shughour, killing over 20 enemy combatants from the Syrian Al-Qaeda group “Jabhat Al-Nusra,” while also destroying three armed vehicles mounted with doshkas on Wednesday.

While intense firefights were engulfing the Sugar Factory, another contingent from the Tiger Forces was engaging a large Islamist group at Qarta, where they were able to overpower the latter’s militants and take complete control of this village located southeast of Jisr Al-Shughour.

Following the capture of Qarta, the Tiger Forces and their allies were finally able to breach Jabhat Al-Nusra’s frontline defenses at the Sugar Factory, capturing the whole facility at 7:30 P.M. Damascus Time, as the militants retreated north towards the Industrial District; this factory is strategically located 1.5km from the city of Jisr Al-Shughour.

With the Syrian Armed Forces capturing the Sugar Factory, the latter has now advanced towards the last remaining Islamist stronghold on the outskirts of Jisr Al-Shughour; this area is also 2km away from the National Hospital that is currently under siege from three points by Jabhat Al-Nusra and Harakat Ahrar Al-Sham.

East of Jisr Al-Shughour, the militants from Harakat Ahrar Al-Sham attempted to bypass the NDF’s fortifications at Ma’ar Tab’i Hill; however, the assault was repelled by the latter before nightfall on Wednesday.

The Islamist forces were unable to yield any victories on Wednesday, as the powerful assault by the Tiger Forces at the Sugar Factory forced the militant groups to concentrate their fighters near the Jisr Al-Shughour front in order to repel any infiltration into this integral city in the Idlib Governorate.