Civilians in Homs Lead an Offensive Against ISIS; Opposition Forces Suffer Heavy Casualities

‘Umm Sharshouh:

The civilian-led, National Defense Forces (NDF), began their offensive against the Islamic State militants at the rural village of ‘Umm Sharshouh in the Homs Governate. The NDF attacked from the west, while the Syrian Air Force attacked I.S. positions, destroying a hideout near the imperative city of Talbiseh. ‘Umm Sharshouh is the one village in Homs that is under complete Islamic State control and used as a launching point for attacks against the NDF.

The NDF killed 12 members of the Islamic State during fierce clashes in the southeast corner of the village. Among the dead Islamic State fighters was Abu Khaled Al-‘Uradni (Jordanian), a prominent Jabhat Al-Nusra defector. While losses were minimal among the NDF, the Islamic State is heavily entrenched in the village, with fortifications all along the eastern corridor; this has made it extremely difficult to breach.

List of Islamic State militants killed-in-action:

1. Mohammad Salim Al-‘Ali
2. Alaa’ Khaled Masaha
3. Mohammad Daher

Al-Rastan:

The Syrian Arab Army carried out operations in the vicinity of this militant-held district that resulted in the death of 6 insurgents and 2 SAA soldiers during a firefight this morning. The militants were members of Jabhat Al-Nusra and Jund Al-Sham; two groups working in unison against the SAA. Jund Al-Sham was formerly at Qalat Al-Hosn before their subsequent withdrawal from the citadel. The names of the militants with identification that were killed-in-action:

1. Jamal Hamid
2. Mohammad Rasul Al-Talib

Bab ‘Amr:

4 members of Jabhat Al-Nusra was killed during a brief skirmish with Syrian Security Forces:

1. Mohammad Namir Al-Halaq
2. Mohammad Razouq Shanour
3. Abdel-Kafi Baraq
4. Mohammad Baraq

Al-Wa’er:

4 militants were killed today in a firefight with the NDF:

1. Mahmoud ‘Ahmad Al-Sarmeini
2. Mahmoud Mohammad ‘Abdullah
3. ‘Ammar Qassab
4. ‘Aadel ‘Ali ‘Oshman

Al-Houla Plain:

Not much detail, other than a small skirmish that killed 5 militants:

1. Mohammad Baraq (three cousins killed on the same day)
2. ‘Ammar Mahu
3. Mohammad Isma’ael Isma’el
4. Mohammad Tamam Bakour
5. Ibrahim ‘Ahmad Al-Jandali

Daar Kabeer:

The NDF killed 7 militants during a search and destroy mission in this rural Homs village:

1. Mohammad Mustafa Ra’ad
2. ‘Abdel-Rahman ‘Abdel-Basit
3. Abu Ibrahim Hussein
4. Mohammad Al-Jalou
5. Abu ‘Umar Marwan ‘Ali
6. Fadi Abada