Recent US media reports – obviously sourced from the US military – that ISIS has been relocating its ‘bureaucrats’ from Raqqa to Al-Madayin, a town in Syria’s eastern Deir Ezzor province, actually replicate information the US military was already circulating back in February.
The huge international attention devoted to the US missile strike on Syria’s Al-Shayrat air base has drawn attention away from the continuing progress of the Syrian army in the war in Syria.
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Reports are circulating in the Middle East that over the last few days ISIS has started pulling back some of its fighters from Deir Ezzor to its ‘capital’ Raqqa, which is coming under increasing threat from the Kurdish militia and the advancing Syrian army.
This news comes after reports that a senior Syrian government official has recently visited Deir Ezzor to inspect the defences of the encircled town and presumably to give some encouragement to its population and defenders.
In contrast to what happened after the capture of Palmyra in March 2016, the Syrian army has been pressing on with its offensive against ISIS positions near Palmyra since its recent recapture of the city.
Most of the focus has been on gaining control of mountain areas north of Palmyra, which were used by ISIS in December as its launch point for its second capture of the city.
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Since January the tide has turned dramatically against ISIS on almost every front
1. Mosul
The Iraqi army began its operation to liberate Mosul in October. Contrary to initial expectations it encountered fierce resistance and the first part of the operation, which was focused on liberating Mosul east of the Tigris proved exceptionally difficult. Eventually eastern Mosul was liberated but only after many weeks of fierce fighting and after the Iraqi army suffered heavy casualties.
The Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar Al-‘Abadi ordered his air force today to start bombing ISIS in Syria, and the Iraqi air force has duly done so, bombing ISIS positions in Syria’s Deir Ezzor province, which adjoins Iraq’s Anbar province.
A video has been released showing the results of air strikes by the Iraqi aircraft (US built F-16s).
The Russian General Staff has commented on the progress army as it continues offensive in central Syria against ISIS.
Starting in December ISIS launched a major offensive in central and eastern Syria. This captured Palmyra and a belt of gas fields west of Palmyra, and also involved a major attack on the besieged eastern desert city of Deir Ezzor.
Reports are circulating – some of which are traceable to Jihadi sources – that fast advancing Syrian army forces have completed the encirclement of 5,000 ISIS fighters who are trapped in the strategic north Syrian town of Al-Bab.
If true then this begs the major question of whether the Syrian troops who have been advancing on Al-Bab from the south are coordinating with the Turkish troops who together with Turkey’s Jihadi allies have been trying to take Al-Bab from the north.
