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E. Ghouta Adventures: Russian AF pounds, Syrian Army captures Jaysh Al-Islam base

Russian Air Force heavily pounds East Ghouta amid latest gains by Syrian Army

[ALMASDARNEWS] The Russian Aerospace Forces heavily bombarded the East Ghouta region these last 24 hours, striking several areas controlled by the jihadist rebels.

According to a military report from Damascus, the Russian Aerospace Forces carried out 30 sorties over the East Ghouta in the last 24 hours, targeting the towns of Douma, Zamalka, Arbeen, Harasta, Mesraba, Utaya, and Jobar.

Syrian Army captures infamous Jaysh Al-Islam base in East Ghouta

[ALMASDARNEWS] The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) scored another big advance in the East Ghouta region on Friday, seizing an imperative military base that was one hailed as Jaish al-Islam
...Liwa al-Islam (Brigade of Islam) was established by Zahran Alloush, the son of Saudi-based religious scholar Abdullah Mohammed Alloush, after Syrian authorities released him from prison in mid-2011 where he had been serving time for his Salafist activism. The group claimed responsibility for carrying out the July 2012 Damascus bombing that killed Defense Minister Dawoud Rajiha, Deputy Defense Minister Asef Shawkat, and Assistant Vice President Hassan Turkmani. It was a driving force behind actions in the Damascus region. It cooperated and conducted joint operations with al-Nusra. In Sptember 2013 Saudi Arabia engineered Liwa al-Islam's merger with fifty other more or less Salafist groups as a counterweight to al-Nusra, which the Learned Elders of Islam considered was growing too powereful...
’s most important installation.

Led by the Tiger Forces, the Syrian Arab Army managed to take control of the Battalion 274 base that is located just south of al-Shifouniyah.

Battalion 274 was used by Jaish al-Islam to train new recruits and house several of its fighters prior to the Syrian Arab Army’s large-scale offensive this year.

Posted by: Fred 2018-03-03
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=509301