DAMASCUS, SYRIA (10:30 A.M.) – A batch of images have emerged covering the Islamic State’s offensive in rural Raqqa on Thursday which saw jihadist belligerents seize a handful of villages and reportedly kill nearly 100 Syrian Arab Army (SAA) soldiers.
The photos show a crippled suicide bomber, dozens of ISIS vehicles, jihadist infantry units overrunning checkpoints in southeast Raqqa and capturing a government soldier alive along with weapons captured from the SAA at towns anchored on the Euphrates River:













Despite the undeniable ISIS gains, the SAA is now in the process of regrouping for a looming counter-offensive. However, most of its elite troops are tied up in central Syria, trying to finish off two Islamic State pockets that were enveloped earlier this month.
For a strategic understanding of the region, click here for an interactive map.
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