ISIS cells operating in the Homs desert launched a surprise attack on a unit of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) south of the city of al-Sukhnah on March 8.
Pro-government sources said that an SAA soldier was injured and three others were captured by the terrorist group’s fighters. The captives were reportedly taken to ISIS hideouts in the center of the Homs desert.
Following the attack, warplanes of the Syrian Arab Air Force (SyAAF) and the Russian Aerospace Forces carried out a series of airstrikes on ISIS positions in the Homs desert. Heavy clashes also took place in the area of al-Dubiyat south of the al-Sukhnah.
More than 1,000 fighters and commanders of ISIS are reportedly hiding in the Homs desert, which lays between eastern Homs and western Deir Ezzor. Last year, the son of ISIS leader, Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, was killed by the SAA in the region.
According to pro-government sources, the SAA is currently conducting a military operation south of al-Sukhnah with the aim of locating and freeing its three soldiers.