Syrian War Report – July 25, 2017: Army Liberated 55 Towns, Killed 2000 Terrorists Since June

Voiceover by Harold Hoover

Syrian government forces have liberated at least 55 towns from ISIS and killed some 2,000 terrorists in the province of Aleppo since June 1st and now the Syrian military and its allies continue advancing against ISIS along the Euphrates River, Chief of the Russian General Staff’s Main Operational Directorate Col.  Gen.  Sergei Rudskoy announced on Monday.

Rudskoy added that the Syrian army and its allies have freed 150km of the border with Iraq including the city of El-Bud and the T-2 gas distribution system from ISIS and now they are developing the offensive in the direction of the city of al-Bukamal.  Government forces are allegedly deployed within 26km of this strategic ISIS-held city.

He added that an operation aimed at blocking and destroying a large group of ISIS terrorists at Uqayribat is now ongoing northwest of Palmyra.  Meanwhile, the Russian Aerospace Forces conducted at least 2,000 sorties and carried out 5,850 airstrikes on terrorist targets.  Russia used Kalibr cruise missiles and Tu-95MC strategic bombers to destroy the most important ISIS targets.

The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have made some gains in the districts of al-Muazzafin, al-Hamra, and Nazlat Shehada and killed 14 ISIS members in the city of Raqqah.  However, clashes are still ongoing in these areas.

Considering the progress of the SDF advance, the US-led force is not going to liberate the city in the nearest future.  The Syrian military command used the SDF problems in Raqqah in order to launch a large-scale campaign against ISIS terrorists south of the Euphrates River.  This may lead to a situation where US-led forces will lose the race to the oil-rich province of Deir Ezzor even before the formal start of the campaign which is expected after the liberation of Raqqah.

Earlier this summer, many pro-US sources speculated that the SDF would capture Raqqah and the oil-rich Deir Ezzor countryside before the army and its allies reached the city.

One hundred forty-three Hayat Tahrir al-Sham members have been killed since the start of the Hezbollah-led advance in the Jaroud Arsal area at the Syrian-Lebanese border.  Hezbollah, backed up by the Syrian Army and the Lebanese Army, has retaken almost the entire area controlled by the group and allegedly lost only 19 fighters during the effort.  The ISIS-held part of Jaroud Arsal will become the next target of the Hezbollah-led operation.