The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) – in coordination with the National Defense Forces (NDF) and the Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP) – have taken control of more points at the Prophet Younis Mountains in northeast Latakia after engaging in fierce clashes with the militants from the Syrian Al-Qaeda group “Jabhat Al-Nusra.”
According to a field source, the SAA and their allies secured all axis points at Jibb Al-Hamer, killing 19 confirmed enemy combatants from Jabhat Al-Nusra before they advanced to the latter’s stronghold at Mir Kashaliyah near the border of the Al-Ghaab Plains in the Idlib Governorate.
Upon their advance to Mir Kashaliyah, the SAA received air assistance from the Syrian Arab Air Force (SAAF), who pounded Jabhat Al-Nusra’s positions in order to weaken their frontline defense against the swarming Syrian Armed Forces within a few hundred meters from this mountainous area.
When the SAA finally encountered the militants of Jabhat Al-Nusra at Mir Kashaliyah, much of their equipment had been destroyed by the airstrikes; this left the insurgents in a complex predicament, as they were not only outnumbered, but they also lacked the provisions to withstand a long battle against enemy forces.
Finally, the militants from Jabhat Al-Nusra decided to withdrawal from Mir Kashaliyah, leaving this mountainous area without fighting the Syrian Armed Forces approaching this village.