By Ali Eid; Translation by Yusra Ahmed
(Zaman Al Wasl)- The outcomes of the battle between the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and ISIS-allegiants armed formations in the Southern Front, Daraa and Horan in particular, is not known yet, as battles are still ongoing in the villages of Yarmouk valley and Western Countryside of Daraa, reaching to the Lajat area in the East-north countryside of Sweida, to the West where “al-Jihad Army” is situated controlling wide areas of Quneitra province.
A source of the Free Syrian Army explained that the battle has been initiated as a proactive step by Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade and Islamic Muthanna Movement after finishing the investigation about the responsibility of Muthanna Movement for assassination of Osama al-Yatim, head of Justice House in Horan with other 4 guards in mid December last year and abducting Yagub al-Ammar, the governor of Liberated city of Daraa.
The exceptional aspect of the battle was the ideology of both formations, as they adopt ISIS’s principles, flag and rules of procedures.
The latest battle has expanded from Tasil town in the North West countryside to Tal Shahim, Tafas, zaizon and Mzairib in Western countryside, which include cells of ISIS members, but the main weight if the Islamic State consists of Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade (Liwa Shuhada al-Yarmouk) and Islamic Muthanna Movement (Harakat al-Muthanna al-Islamiya) which positioned in villages of Yamouk valley (Jomleh, al-Shajara, Saham Golan and Jallin).
Related:
ISIS eyed on southern Syria as 'Caliphate' territories shrink in the north
The main development was when suddenly, members of Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade controlled the town of Tasil, and other fighters of Islamic Muthanna movement started a battle in Tafas village, ended in killing many of them, then the battle was extended to other villages and towns on the Western Countryside resulted in killing dozens of those two armed formation and the Free Syria Army and Nusra Front.
In the same time, clashes took place in Lajat area when members of ISIS tried to advance from the village of Hosh hammad, which is under their control to villages of al-Dhaher and al-Modawara, which ended in killing most of them and defeating and arresting the rest.
A local source from the area where both formations are positioned, mentioned that a plan was put forward to create a “state” of ISIS similar to Mosul by sudden attack on the Western countryside and connecting it with Lajat area in the East, reaching to Sweida and Quneitra in the West. However, Nusra front and the Free Syrian Army’s battalions, prevented ISIS from achieving the goal.
The source mentioned that in the beginning, pro-ISIS formations had denied their allegiance to ISIS waiting for the suitable time, but suspicion was built up when they refused to abide by the Court of Justice House and relied on their “Sharea figures”, who came from the Northern region and most of them were not Arab, and aopting the “Emir” form of ruling, besides assassinating most prominent figures of different background like aid workers, religious figures, judges, lawyers and activists as a preparation step to build brand new structure harmonious to ISIS’s ideology.
The provisional map of the Islamic State in Southern region of Syria takes a shape of a crescent extends from the villages of Qaser and Asfar North of Sweida to the village of Hosh Hammad, and Lajat area between Daraa and Sweida. A source from al-Omari battalion estimated that 300 members of ISIS are positioned in the area with highly advanced weapon.
There are almost 50 kilometre between the areas controlled by Islamic State and Southern of Nawa village, half of that area a rocky bumpy area and part of Western side of Lajat area. If ISIS managed to connect the two points, it will be able to secure a supply route via desert areas from the North of Syria reaching to the West covering areas extends from Quneitra and Qahtaniyah at the boarder of Golan to the south toward villages of Yarmouk valley to Jallin then to the rest areas of Western Daraa.
Some analysis estimated that almost 2000-3000 members of ISIS are situated in the area extends between North Sweida and Quneitra.. this number is able to invade the southern area and control it especially if it used the strategy of threatening and mass killing.
The Islamic State started in Quneitra with founding the al-Jihad Army (Jaish al-Jihad) in the end of January 2015, by uniting many battalions like Saraya al-Jihad, Jund al-Islam, Abo Basir group, Mujahidi al-Sham movement, Shabab Ahel Assalaf group, zo al-norin brigade which announced withdrawing from al-Jihad Army later.
Sources estimate that number of members of the Islamic State in Quneitra do not exceed 400 members, most of them are wanted people for crimes of stealing , killing and abduction , or people who look for money or have extreme ideology.
AL-Jihad Army activity was limited to the North area of Daraa countryside and Quneitra at the Israeli borders.
Al-Jihad Army kept ambiguous and little was known about its nature, identity and affiliation, all what known was its military commander “Abo Mosaab al-Fanisi” who was captured by Nusra Front when attacking the village of Qahtaniyeh in the end of April 2015,then it killed more than 45 members of the formation.
Al-Jiahd Army and Yarmouk martyrs brigade are allied, and that was proven when the later started a battle with Nusra front to release pressure on al-Jiahd army, which make observers think that the “army” is a group of Yarmouk martyrs brigade.
A statement of al-Jihad army announced that Abo Yusuf as the “Emir” of the formation, Abo Tayem as the military commander, Abo jafar al-Golani as the spokesman and Abo Ali Amir as the Sharea responsible.
An officer of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) talked on condition of anonymity explained that the battle with ISIS-alligiant formations is difficult and it has not finished yet, although the plan for controlling the southern region has failed, because Yarmouk Martyr Biirgade is still have huge amount of advanced arms, as well as hundreds of local fighters.
The officer thinks that an ideological strategy is needed as well as military actions in order to win the battle, because that can help hundreds of people who join the Islamic State because of poverty and chaos to return to their mind and leave the state. Otherwise, the battle will take long time and will be too socially destructive.
Fuad al-Amyan, former coordinator in Mutaz battalion thinks that regime’s intelligence has its hands in helping the Islamic State to get positioned in southern region at the boarder of Israel, to use the situation later and blackmail Israel and other forces.
Al-Amyan added that a possibility of attacking Southern region by Israel is still on, especially with the ongoing expansion of ISIS in the region which would create unstable circumstances threatening Israel.
(Zaman Al Wasl)- The outcomes of the battle between the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and ISIS-allegiants armed formations in the Southern Front, Daraa and Horan in particular, is not known yet, as battles are still ongoing in the villages of Yarmouk valley and Western Countryside of Daraa, reaching to the Lajat area in the East-north countryside of Sweida, to the West where “al-Jihad Army” is situated controlling wide areas of Quneitra province.
A source of the Free Syrian Army explained that the battle has been initiated as a proactive step by Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade and Islamic Muthanna Movement after finishing the investigation about the responsibility of Muthanna Movement for assassination of Osama al-Yatim, head of Justice House in Horan with other 4 guards in mid December last year and abducting Yagub al-Ammar, the governor of Liberated city of Daraa.
The exceptional aspect of the battle was the ideology of both formations, as they adopt ISIS’s principles, flag and rules of procedures.
The latest battle has expanded from Tasil town in the North West countryside to Tal Shahim, Tafas, zaizon and Mzairib in Western countryside, which include cells of ISIS members, but the main weight if the Islamic State consists of Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade (Liwa Shuhada al-Yarmouk) and Islamic Muthanna Movement (Harakat al-Muthanna al-Islamiya) which positioned in villages of Yamouk valley (Jomleh, al-Shajara, Saham Golan and Jallin).
Related:
ISIS eyed on southern Syria as 'Caliphate' territories shrink in the north
The main development was when suddenly, members of Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade controlled the town of Tasil, and other fighters of Islamic Muthanna movement started a battle in Tafas village, ended in killing many of them, then the battle was extended to other villages and towns on the Western Countryside resulted in killing dozens of those two armed formation and the Free Syria Army and Nusra Front.
In the same time, clashes took place in Lajat area when members of ISIS tried to advance from the village of Hosh hammad, which is under their control to villages of al-Dhaher and al-Modawara, which ended in killing most of them and defeating and arresting the rest.
A local source from the area where both formations are positioned, mentioned that a plan was put forward to create a “state” of ISIS similar to Mosul by sudden attack on the Western countryside and connecting it with Lajat area in the East, reaching to Sweida and Quneitra in the West. However, Nusra front and the Free Syrian Army’s battalions, prevented ISIS from achieving the goal.
The source mentioned that in the beginning, pro-ISIS formations had denied their allegiance to ISIS waiting for the suitable time, but suspicion was built up when they refused to abide by the Court of Justice House and relied on their “Sharea figures”, who came from the Northern region and most of them were not Arab, and aopting the “Emir” form of ruling, besides assassinating most prominent figures of different background like aid workers, religious figures, judges, lawyers and activists as a preparation step to build brand new structure harmonious to ISIS’s ideology.
The provisional map of the Islamic State in Southern region of Syria takes a shape of a crescent extends from the villages of Qaser and Asfar North of Sweida to the village of Hosh Hammad, and Lajat area between Daraa and Sweida. A source from al-Omari battalion estimated that 300 members of ISIS are positioned in the area with highly advanced weapon.
There are almost 50 kilometre between the areas controlled by Islamic State and Southern of Nawa village, half of that area a rocky bumpy area and part of Western side of Lajat area. If ISIS managed to connect the two points, it will be able to secure a supply route via desert areas from the North of Syria reaching to the West covering areas extends from Quneitra and Qahtaniyah at the boarder of Golan to the south toward villages of Yarmouk valley to Jallin then to the rest areas of Western Daraa.
Some analysis estimated that almost 2000-3000 members of ISIS are situated in the area extends between North Sweida and Quneitra.. this number is able to invade the southern area and control it especially if it used the strategy of threatening and mass killing.
The Islamic State started in Quneitra with founding the al-Jihad Army (Jaish al-Jihad) in the end of January 2015, by uniting many battalions like Saraya al-Jihad, Jund al-Islam, Abo Basir group, Mujahidi al-Sham movement, Shabab Ahel Assalaf group, zo al-norin brigade which announced withdrawing from al-Jihad Army later.
Sources estimate that number of members of the Islamic State in Quneitra do not exceed 400 members, most of them are wanted people for crimes of stealing , killing and abduction , or people who look for money or have extreme ideology.
AL-Jihad Army activity was limited to the North area of Daraa countryside and Quneitra at the Israeli borders.
Al-Jihad Army kept ambiguous and little was known about its nature, identity and affiliation, all what known was its military commander “Abo Mosaab al-Fanisi” who was captured by Nusra Front when attacking the village of Qahtaniyeh in the end of April 2015,then it killed more than 45 members of the formation.
Al-Jiahd Army and Yarmouk martyrs brigade are allied, and that was proven when the later started a battle with Nusra front to release pressure on al-Jiahd army, which make observers think that the “army” is a group of Yarmouk martyrs brigade.
A statement of al-Jihad army announced that Abo Yusuf as the “Emir” of the formation, Abo Tayem as the military commander, Abo jafar al-Golani as the spokesman and Abo Ali Amir as the Sharea responsible.
An officer of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) talked on condition of anonymity explained that the battle with ISIS-alligiant formations is difficult and it has not finished yet, although the plan for controlling the southern region has failed, because Yarmouk Martyr Biirgade is still have huge amount of advanced arms, as well as hundreds of local fighters.
The officer thinks that an ideological strategy is needed as well as military actions in order to win the battle, because that can help hundreds of people who join the Islamic State because of poverty and chaos to return to their mind and leave the state. Otherwise, the battle will take long time and will be too socially destructive.
Fuad al-Amyan, former coordinator in Mutaz battalion thinks that regime’s intelligence has its hands in helping the Islamic State to get positioned in southern region at the boarder of Israel, to use the situation later and blackmail Israel and other forces.
Al-Amyan added that a possibility of attacking Southern region by Israel is still on, especially with the ongoing expansion of ISIS in the region which would create unstable circumstances threatening Israel.
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