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:

Chris Tomson | AMN

Chris Tomson | AMN
Chris Tomson | AMN
Chris Tomson | AMN
Chris Tomson | AMN
Chris Tomson | AMN
Chris Tomson | AMN
Chris Tomson | AMN
Chris Tomson | AMN
Chris Tomson | AMN
Chris Tomson | AMN
Chris Tomson | AMN
Chris Tomson | AMN
Chris Tomson | AMN

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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Chris Tomson
Student currently living in Denmark. Special focus on news from Syria, MENA map-making and strategical military analysis.

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roberto
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roberto
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Sorry but SAA high command should be fired completly. How can you remove your best forces from the most volatile front while you let those elite troops “encircle” the enemy far away but ALWAYS leaving them an escape corridor? Why do you send those troops there if you don’t fight the enemy anyway and let them go whith all their heavy weapons and manpower?! This makes no sense and cost hundreds of soldiers. Aerial reconnaissance is SAAs biggest problem! I don’t know what they do with their planes, choppers and drones. But obviously they don’t look for enemies, not even… Read more »

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2017-08-25 11:09
Vladsky
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Hello roberto, you are a fantastic general commander. Amazing how you can so brilliantly analyze this complicated military situation with the tiny amount of info released. Your ability to decipher the situation without any real knowledge other than what is released on the web shows that you are much smarter than the Syrian and Russian Commanders.We should hire you as top commander when you finish watching television and web. Ask your mum if you can take this job soon ! In the mean time we will have to trust that the Syrian and Russian High Command will be able to… Read more »

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2017-08-25 19:16
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Deo Cass
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They don’t need to finish off anything. ISIS are finished in central Syria since they are completely surrounded and the central Syria offensive can wait. The Syrian Arab Army needs to immediately redeploy all their forces to Raqqa to regain lost ground and lift the siege from Deir Ezzur and compleyely liberate the countryside. Otherwise very soon ISIS will morph into the Kurdish foreign invaders of the SDF and all of Raqqa and Deir Ezzur will be lost to the Zio-Nazi American proxies.

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2017-08-25 11:45
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Deo Cass
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‘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.’ Why waste so many precious resources for an already won battle? ISIS are totally surrounded there. They will run out of ammunition and supplies soon. As for this attack, this is an attack by the US/SDF/Kurdish/ISIS coaition not ISIS alone. Or should we say, the US/SDF/Kurds with ISIS masks and flags. I am truly starting to belive that Russia is playing around with Syria and Syrian troops lives. Ther is no other explanation to this… Read more »

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2017-09-26 13:39
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I add that these US/Israeli proxy offensives could not have taken the Syrian governnent forces by surprise if the Russians who scrutinize all of the Syrian territory from their sattellites and drones had informed their loyal Syrian ally of the impending attacks. The fact that they did not, starts making me suspect they are playing a double game together with their American and Israeli “partners.”

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2017-08-25 11:51
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Hello to yet another amazing armchair general deo cass ! You and roberto have less than 1% of the info about the complicated military situation and strategic uses of available forces, yet, Im sure you will agree, you manage to out smart the Syrian and Russian Command. Your “Cuntries” must be free and sovereign from the forces that seek to destroy Syria and control the whole World thru War and Monetary policies. What debt does your “Cuntry” have to the IMF, World Bank, Reserve Bank System of the World? Maybe you should use your “Intelligence” to help your “Cuntry” become… Read more »

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2017-08-25 19:33