south front
I onsdags lancerede den syriske Al-Qaeda gruppe "Al-Nusra" og dets allierede fra Jund Al-Aqsa et kraftigt angreb på den strategiske by Al-Si'in inde i Hama provinsen. Intensive ildkampe mellem militante og de civil-ledede "National Defense Forces" (NDF) er fortsat siden igår..

Det er muligvis den første af mange angreb på byen Al-Si'in. Byen er blevet et nøglepunkt i deres Hama offensiv, fordi den ligger strategisk placeret 30km vest for den syriske regerings eneste forsyningsrute mod Aleppo Governorate: Khanasser Highway. Yderligere, hvis Al-Si'in tabes til Jabhat Al-Nusra, så vil denne terrorgruppe have adgang til to hovedveje som leder ind til både Hama og Al-Salamiyah distrikterne.



Kommentar: Denne artikel er blot delvis oversat til dansk af sott.net fra South Front Syria Military Review: Battle for Aleppo (plus, China's Uyghur problem)


According to reports, militants withdrew additional forces from the Al-Ghab Plains front of the volatile battle for Jabal Al-Akrad (Kurdish Mountains) inside the Latakia Governorate northeastern countryside. So, SouthFront: Analysis & Intelligence expects a lull there.

Separately, the Syrian Arab Army's "Cheetah Forces"led by Colonel Shady Isma'eel entered the town of Sheikh Ahmad in the suburbs of the Kuweires Military Airbase after intense firefights against ISIS. The NDF supports the SAA from the recently captured village of Tal Sab'een. This area is located approximately 4km away from the airbase. Thus, despite the adamant ISIS holdout, the SAA has made one more step to lift the siege from the Kuweires Military Airbase.

Elsewhere, ISIS launched an offensive on the Deir Ez-zour Military Airport's outer parameters, targeting the southeastern gates protected by the SAA. ISIS successfully passed outside perimeter and pushed to the gates. Intense firefights started there.

According to the Arab sources, no more than one hour later, the Russian Air Force's SU-24 fighter jets came into the Deir Ez-zour province to succor the Syrian Arab Army soldiers at the military airport. This proved extremely effective, as ISIS offensive was broken due to their lack of cover against the airstrikes. As result, 25 militants were killed and over 40 were injured.

Foreign Policy Diary - China's Uyghur Problem: Threat of Destabilization


Syria Military Review (Oct. 21)