The Syrian Armed Forces have been on a roll in the Quraytayn countryside as of late, capturing several farms and hilltops that were under the control of the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS) for the last four months.
Since the capture of Maheen last week, the Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP) – backed by the National Defense Forces (NDF) of Sadad and the Assyrian “Gozarto Protection Forces (Sootooro) – have steadily advanced towards Quraytayn’s western and southern flanks in order to surround this ancient Syriac Christian city that has been occupied by the ISIS terrorists since early August of this year.
On Monday morning, the Syrian Social Nationalist Party and their allies pressed further into the heart of the Quraytayn countryside, capturing a small collection of farms at the western flank of the city after engaging ISIS in a series of violent firefights that ended in the aforementioned terrorist group’s withdrawal.
South of Quraytayn, the Syrian Armed Forces are making their biggest push thus far, targeting several barriers along the main road that leads into the city; this front has been by far the most violent, as the ISIS combatants are deeply entrenched in this area.
Should the Syrian Armed Forces recapture Quraytayn from ISIS, they will be in position to fight their way back to Jabal Al-Tanf (Al-Tanf Mountains); this aforementioned site is located on the border of Iraq and provides ISIS with a clear route to southeast Homs.