Syria in Last 24 Hours:

ISIL's Foreign Commanders Killed in Clashes with Army in Hama Province

Rasa - The Syrian army continued its advances in Eastern Hama, killing a number of terrorists, including several notorious ISIL commanders.

News ID: 431389

Date: 02 August 2017 - 20:21

RNA - The ISIL terrorists sustained heavy losses and damages in fierce clashes with the Syrian army East of town of al-Salamiyah.

At least four non-Syrian commanders were killed in tough battle with the army near al-Salamiyah town.

The Syrian army and popular forces also hit hard the military positions of the terrorists in other key provinces across Syria.

Hama

Four non-Syrian commanders of the ISIL terrorist group were killed in a Syrian Army operation in Eastern Hama on Tuesday.

The army soldiers engaged in heavy fighting with ISIL East of the town of al-Salamiyah, and killed four ISIL commanders who came to be known as foreign leaders of the terrorist group.

In the meantime, the army aircraft targeted ISIL's strongholds along the road to Abu al-Hanaya East of al-Salamiyah, killing a number of terrorists and destroying a vehicle.

Also, the fighter jets pounded a stronghold of ISIL along the road to Salba near the town of Aqayrabat, destroying the stronghold and several military vehicles.

A military source said earlier on Tuesday that the army troops and popular forces are standing for order to launch the final battle in Central Syria to drive ISIL out of their last strongholds in Eastern Hama.

The source said that the army soldiers and popular combatants are preparing for the final phase of a large-scale operation in Eastern Hama amid arrival of a large number of fresh forces and a large volume of military equipment to the region.

The army has also engaged in tough battle with ISIL in Eastern Homs, Southern territories of Raqqa province and in Deir Ezzur province.

The source further said that the army is going through the final stages of preparation to kick off heavy attacks on the town of Aqayrabat, ISIL's main stronghold in Eastern Hama.

Aqayrabat is located along the road to the town of al-Sukhnah that is one of the most important strongholds of ISIL in Eastern Homs, so, ISIL's defeat in Aqayrabat will be a severe blow to the terrorists in al-Sukhnah.

Liberation of Aqayrabat region is a main objective of the Syrian and Russian forces' operation in Eastern Hama, as Aqayrabat is considered ISIL's main stronghold in the province.

Raqqa

The predominately Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have pushed ISIL terrorists back from all neighborhoods in the Southern part of Raqqa city, field sources said Tuesday.

The sources said that the SDF engaged in fierce clashes with ISIL and pushed them back from Nazla Shahada neighborhood adjacent to Hosham Bin Abdul Malik neighborhood in South Raqqa.

In the meantime, the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that ISIL withdrew from the Southern districts of Raqqa city and the Northern bank of the Euphrates River after the Kurdish fighters deployed in Eastern Raqqa (Hosham Bin Abdul Malik neighborhood) advanced to shake hands with their comrades that had marched from the Western part of the city (Nazla Shahada neighborhood).

Field sources reported fierce clashes between ISIL and the SDF in the city center and near Hosham Bin Abdul Malik neighborhood, mentioning that SDF units are just a few hundred yards away from the notorious al-Sa'ah Square, where the ISIL executed people.

Spokesman for the Euphrates Rage Operation Room Jeihan Sheikh Ahmad announced last week that the SDF fighters seized control over eight neighborhoods or 45 percent of Raqqa city after 47 days of non-stop anti-ISIL operation.

Jeihan pointed out that the SDF laid siege on ISIL terrorists from four directions, adding that mop-up operation was underway through all the four directions.

The SDF spokesman also added that fierce clashes were underway between the ISIL and Kurdish forces in six neighborhoods of Raqqa city.

Jeihan further said that the two ISIL-held neighborhoods of Hosham Abdul Malek in the South and al-Barid in Northwest of the city would fall.

Deir Ezzur

The ISIL terrorist group is feeling an acute shortage of financial funds and resources, and started moves to levy more financial aid from civilians and tradesmen, local sources reported Tuesday.

The sources said that the ISIL has distributed a number of fliers across Deir Ezzur, asking people to render financial assistance to the group and implying that they would be sent to battle if they fail to help ISIL financially.

The ISIL has prepared a list of residents and traders in Deir Ezzur for collecting funds.

ISIL has lost its sources of revenue after Deir Ezzur's oilfield controlled by the terrorist groups were targeted. Moreover, tens of ISIL commanders have fled the region with hefty amount of funds and assets of ISIL's treasury.

847/940