It has been almost one week since the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS) has taken full control of the historical city of Palmyra (Tadmur) in the eastern part of the Homs Governorate; however, the Syrian Armed Forces have yet to launch a counter-assault on the terrorist group that shocked the region with their resurgence after a five month hiatus.

This changed on Sunday, when hundreds of soldiers from the Syrian Arab Army’s “Suqour Al-Sahra” (Desert Hawks) Brigade and the civilian-led “National Defense Forces” (NDF) began the arduous task of retaking the ancient city of Palmyra, amid the large presence of ISIS combatants that have been recently reinforced by their fighters from the Ar-Raqqa Governorate.

While the majority of firefights have been in favor of ISIS, the arrival of necessary reinforcements from the Syrian Armed Forces should provide a boost to the entrenched soldiers of the SAA’s 18th Tank Battalion that have been under attack at the Palmyra Ruins and the Palmyra Aqueduct over the last five days.

In addition to the hundreds of soldiers that have been concentrated at the Palmyra front, the Syrian Armed Forces have deployed a convoy of tanks and heavy weaponry to counter ISIS’ large quantity of armored vehicles that are mounted with a variety of anti-aircraft machine guns and doshkas.

Recently, the Syrian Arab Air Force (SAAF) has stepped up their airstrikes at the city of Palmyra and the towns of ‘Arak and Al-Sikhanah in the eastern part of the Homs Governorate; unfortunately, this has not deterred or forestalled the ISIS militants from steadily advancing across the vast deserts of eastern Syrian and western Iraq.

ALSO READ  Syrian soldier killed in new attack by jihadist rebels

The biggest threat ISIS’ poses to the Syrian Government – at the moment – is the possible disruption of their power grids that are situated near theAl-Sha’ar Mountains, which are located north of Palmyra; if they are recaptured by ISIS, the Syrian Government will be dealt its biggest blow in this war.

 

Advertisements
Share this article:
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
Leith Aboufadel
Editor-in-Chief Specializing in Near Eastern Affairs and Economics.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

Notice: All comments represent the view of the commenter and not necessarily the views of AMN.

All comments that are not spam or wholly inappropriate are approved, we do not sort out opinions or points of view that are different from ours.

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:

  • Name-calling
  • Ad hominem attacks
  • Responding to a post’s tone instead of its actual content
  • Knee-jerk contradiction

Instead, provide reasoned counter-arguments that improve the conversation.