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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Syrian forces liberate strategic town in east Hama |
| 2017-08-24 |
| [AlMasdar] The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and the Qalamoun Shield Forces, a national pro-government militia group, have just liberated a large town of considerable strategic value from ISIS in eastern Hama Governorate. Several hours ago, the SAA and Qalamoun Shield Forces expelled ISIS militants from the town of Salbah. The advance was made possible after pro-government forces took the imperative high-ground around the settlement prior to storming it. According to military sources, the SAA stormed Salbah during the earliest hours of this morning. ISIS fighters are noted to have put up a fierce resistance both on the outskirts of the town and inside it. In the end, pro-government forces simply overwhelmed ISIS through sheer numbers and firepower, pushing the terrorist group’s militants to withdraw from Salbah. By this advance, the SAA and its allies are now in a position to attack the settlements of Mas’adah and Qalib al-Thor. 90 percent of ISIS militants in east Hama are native Syrians [AlMasdar] Some 90 percent of the ISIS militants which remain in eastern Hama Governorate, who are now physically besieged in the region by pro-government forces, consist of native Syrians. These local ISIS fighters are not only Syrians but, even more specifically, residents from eastern Hama, virtually all coming from the Badawee tribal clan which has deep historical roots in the region. It most likely the case that these native jihadist loyalists were ordered by their foreign commanders (which are generally Iraqi, Saudi and Tunisian), who themselves withdrew from eastern Hama as pro-government forces were encircling it, to stay behind and fight to the death. This reality is not uncommon and was also seen during the Battle for Mosul, when non-Iraqi ISIS fighters withdrew from the city prior to its full encirclement, leaving behind native militants to resist until death. |
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