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ISIS digs in at Margada
[ARA News] HASAKAH – Militant fighters of the Islamic State (ISIS) started digging trenches in the vicinity of Margada town in northeastern Syria in a bid to fortify and protect its headquarters there, local sources reported on Thursday.This comes after the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) expelled the group from major areas in Hasakah governorate, northeast Syria. The town of Margada, located at the administrative borders between Hasakah and Deir ez-Zor, is considered the last ISIS stronghold in Hasakah governorate. “The Islamic State members have dug a trench around the northern part of Margada. The project is expected to proceed and cover the town’s suburbs from all sides,” local media activist Azzam Khallawi told ARA News. The group has also planted dozens of landmines in the vicinity of Margada in a bid to impede the SDF progress. “We are already aware of those tactics by this terrorist group,” a SDF spokesman told ARA News. “ISIS believes that such kind of fortifications could prevent our forces from retaking Margada. But we reassure them that we’re prepared for any scenarios.” The radical group had launched a similar project in November 2015 by fortifying its headquarters and digging trenches in the surroundings of al-Hawl town on the Syrian-Iraqi border. However, the US-backed SDF troops were eventually able to liberate the town after heavy clashes with ISIS. Posted by: badanov 2016-09-30 |
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