ISIS capital in danger as Syrian Army and Kurdish fighters approach

[Bleipriester]

Midst in battlefields east of Aleppo, the Syrian army´s and ISIS´s offensive hit each other. The army attempts to capture Al-Tabqa but ISIS launched another attempt to cut off the government´s supply route to Aleppo.

"Since October of 2015, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) has captured some 50 villages in eastern Aleppo during an offensive which halted the ISIS-imposed siege on Kuweiris Airbase. Furthermore, government forces have advanced along the M45-highway (Hama to Raqqah) and reached the western fringes of ar-Raqqah province while also completely repelling the ISIS offensive which had the government supply route to Aleppo cut last week.

Meanwhile, Kurdish fighters of the People’s Protection Units (YPG) and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have taken firm control of the northern region of the ar-Raqqah governorate. Last year, Kurdish forces won a last-minute battle against ISIS at Kobane city. Moreover, the YPG seized upon vital momentum and remarkably captured the entire Turkish-Syrian border area which stretches from ar-Raqqah to Hasakah together with hundreds of ISIS-held villages.

Since Russia launched its airstrikes on the Islamic State, the self-proclaimed caliphate has shrunk approximately 20% in Iraq and Syria respectively. For now, ISIS controls less than 10% of the Turkish border while both Kurdish and Syrian troops have made considerable encroachments upon the governorate of ar-Raqqah. The latter’s provincial capital is arguably the most important stronghold of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s forces.

Hardly a year old, ISIS proclaimed it was now a state and quickly expelled rebel forces from all areas with even the slightest ISIS presence. Later, the notorious group put itself on the lips of the world audience with terrorist attacks in the Middle East, Paris and even the United States of America.

However, given the current rate of advances by the Iraqi Army, Syrian Arab Army and YPG/SDF, the caliphate is likely to be wiped off the map in Iraq and Syria within a few years. Nevertheless, the Islamic Sate has now established itself elsewhere in the region; most notably in Libya, Afghanistan, Yemen, Nigeria and Somalia."

ISIS capital in danger as Syrian Army and Kurdish fighters approach - Map update

 

[Stratford57]

Bleipriester, thanks for the update. If I want to know [basically every day] what's going on in Syria, I'm looking for your posts. I've been missing them for a month and a half and now enjoying their and your comeback.

Meanwhile NATO and Washington have complimented Russia's activity in Syria (for change!):

Russia deployed 40 warplanes, performing some 75 sorties a day (until the ceasefire came into effect on February 27). The airstrikes, usually delivered on several targets during each combat flight, are accurate and efficient.
The US-led counterterrorist coalition, deploying about 180 warplanes against Islamic State (IS, former ISIS/ISIL), strikes only about 20 targets a day.
Russland ist Nato-Kräften in Syrien überlegen

The NATO report acknowledged that it is the highly professional performance of the Russian task force in Syria that made the greatest contribution in putting an end to the cruel “display of power” practiced by terrorists in Syria for years. The NATO analysis was confirmed by US Department of State spokesperson John Kirby, who acknowledged at a press briefing on Friday that Russia has played the central role in the Syrian peace process. This despite various disagreements between Moscow and Washington, which are co-chairing the International Syria Support Group (ISSG).
“We don’t see eye to eye with Russia on everything, and I am not even talking about outside Syria, even inside what’s going in Syria. There have been and there will probably continue to be disagreements with Russia over various factors there as we move forward, but Russia has taken a leadership role inside the ISSG,”Kirby said, adding the Russians have been helpful and cooperative“in some ways.”
“In other ways we still continue to have issues with them,”Kirby said, unconditionally denying that Washington is“simply yielding concessions”to Moscow.
‘Efficient, accurate’: Russian air warfare in Syria praised in classified NATO report