After months of intense firefights in the Rif Dimashq city of Wadi ‘Ayn Tarma, the Syrian Arab Army’s 105th Brigade of the Republican Guard has liberated this strategic area, taking control of over 8 square km of surrounding land. This is a decisive blow to the already exhausted Jaysh Al-Islam fighters in the East Ghouta, who are now forced to retreat to other besieged areas.
According to a military source, the Republican Guard was able to gain substantial ground after a Syrian Air Force bunker buster destroyed an integral tunnel used by Jaysh Al-Islam to supply their embattled fighters. Upon its destruction, the 105th Brigade discovered a network of tunnels inside the city; this forced most Jaysh Al-Islam fighters to retreat to the city outskirts.
As Jaysh Al-Islam fighters were retreating to the outskirts of Wadi ‘Ayn Tarma, the Syrian Air Force conducted a multitude of airstrikes that targeted the exposed militants. Unable to counter the Republican Guard and without the shelter of their underground tunnels, Jaysh Al-Islam fighters were forced to abandon positions on the outskirts of the city.
The loss of Wadi ‘Ayn Tarma will force Jaysh Al-Islam to rely on their entrenched comrades in Douma and Jobar to lift the SAA’s siege on the East Ghouta. However, the latter faces a difficult task as the 105th Brigade is on the offensive, backed by the effective Syrian Air Force that has successfully destroyed multiple hideouts and tunnels all over the Rif Dimashq Governate.
