Following the devastating loss of Palmyra on Sunday, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) set up a new defensive line a few kilometers west of the famed city while exploring a potential counter-offensive.
Despite being heavily outnumbered, with some 1,000 government troops against an estimated 4,000-5,000 invading ISIS militants, several hundred additional Syrian soldiers arrived on Sunday afternoon in order to stiffen the SAA’s defenses and boost morale.
The new defensive line was reinforced exclusively by the ‘Qalamoun Shield’, a largely tribal faction of the Syrian Armed Forces which has its roots in the mountainous Damascus countryside. This unit will join elements of the SAA’s 11th Division, 18th Division, the National Defence Forces (NDF) and ‘Shaheen Group’ (Tiger Forces branch).
Should the Military High Command pursue a counter-offensive, SAA commanders could approach the task in two different ways.
In one scenario, the SAA would launch a rapid and remorseless counter-attack, thus denying ISIS any chance to fortify Palmyra and set up minefields on its vicinity; unfortunately, this instigates heavy casualties. Another somewhat cautious strategy would be to gradually retake the mountains around Palmyra while simultaneously unleashing Russian warplanes and Syrian artillery firepower on Islamic State positions inside the city.
In any case, the Syrian Armed Forces must bring in additional military personnel if government forces are to mount an unstoppable counter-offensive. However, mopping up the battle for Aleppo is absolutely instrumental for this to happen as most of the SAA’s seasoned soldiers are currently tied up in Syria’s largest city.
Pictures of Sunday’s Qalamoun Shield reinforcements can be found below:
Chris Tomson | AMN









For video confirmation of ISIS’ takeover of Palmyra, click here. Meanwhile, the latest map of Palmyra and the eastern Homs region can be found here.
1.2K 207 1 - 1.4KShares
Be Civil
This is a Civilized Place for Public Discussion
Please treat this discussion with the same respect you would a public park. We, too, are a shared community resource — a place to share skills, knowledge and interests through ongoing conversation.
These are not hard and fast rules, merely guidelines to aid the human judgment of our community and keep this a clean and well-lighted place for civilized public discourse.
Make it better
Improve the Discussion
Help us make this a great place for discussion by always working to improve the discussion in some way, however small. If you are not sure your post adds to the conversation, think over what you want to say and try again later.
The topics discussed here matter to us, and we want you to act as if they matter to you, too. Be respectful of the topics and the people discussing them, even if you disagree with some of what is being said.
Now the hard part!
Be Agreeable, Even When You Disagree
You may wish to respond to something by disagreeing with it. That’s fine. But remember to criticize ideas, not people. Please avoid:
Instead, provide reasoned counter-arguments that improve the conversation.