Syrian rebels seize swathes of south as Islamic State retreats

by Dramelin 6:00 AM 0 comments

His group first fought Islamic State when it took over parts of Deir al-Zor province at the height of its expansion in 2014.
"(Islamic State) had cut roads and were in control and had been positioned in former Syrian army bases with a strong presence and with heavy armor.
(Islamic State) has been pushed out of them in heavy clashes in 16 days of battles," said Talas al Salameh, the commander of the Osoud al Sharqiya, the biggest of the FSA groups in the area.
AMMAN Syrian rebels have seized large areas from Islamic State in southern Syria in the last two weeks as the jihadist group prepares to defend its Raqqa stronghold in the north from a U.
S.
-backed assault, rebel commanders say.
The advances by Western-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) factions have helped to reduce the risk of Islamic State fighters regrouping in areas near Damascus and the Jordanian border as they face major defeats in Syria and Iraq.