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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| ISIS counterattack in Palmyra sparks fighting anew |
| 2016-08-29 |
| ARA News HOMS – Clashes broke out between Syrian army forces and militants of the Islamic State (ISIS) near the ancient city of Palmyra in Homs province, activists reported on Monday. ISIS fighters launched an offensive on a Syrian army base in the al-Talela district in the vicinity of Palmyra in eastern Homs, bombing the base with a number of mortar shells. “At least seven soldiers were killed and over a dozen more wounded in ISIS bombardment in the al-Talela base,” media activist Khaled al-Abdullah told ARA News in Palmyra. In response, Syrian warplanes hit ISIS fighting positions near Palmyra, forcing the militants to withdraw. “The ISIS withdrawal came after the group lost a number of its militants in clashes with Syrian army forces, and five of its vehicles were destroyed under airstrikes,” the source reported. The Islamic State takes al-Sawami district in eastern Homs as a main stronghold, from which the group launches its attacks on pro-regime troops in the province. In May 2015, ISIS took over Palmyra after fierce battles with Syrian regime army forces. In March 2016, the pro-regime troops supported by Russian air force were able to impose full control over Palmyra downtown after ISIS extremists retreated towards the northern villages of Palmyra and its eastern outskirts. The group’s leadership has later ordered its militants to withdraw towards its main bastion of Raqqa, northeastern Syria. Reporting by: Ghassan Hattab Source: ARA News |
| Posted by:badanov |