Syrian Army Seizes Last ISIS-Held Town in Homs

Gives Syrian Military Control of Highway Into ISIS Territory

In what could be a significant blow to ISIS’ defense of Deir Ezzor Province, the Syrian Army has captured the town of al-Sukhna, the last ISIS-held town in the Homs Province, which lies along a major highway leading directly into the ISIS-held east.

At the peak of ISIS’ territory gains in Syria, they were pushing into Homs Province fairly aggressively, and even after the fall of Palmyra they fought hard to keep that territory to try to counter any major offensives coming from Syria’s main government-held territories around Damascus.

The M20 highway now gives the Syrian military a straight shot deep into Deir Ezzor, which could allow them to advance on the province’s capital city with only a couple of small towns in the way. This could lead to substantial territory losses for ISIS in the oil-rich east.

The city of Deir Ezzor, and the neighboring city of al-Mayadin, would be both a blow for ISIS to lose, and a major military goal for the Syrian government, as it would not only solidify their route connecting to reinforcement militias in neighboring Iraq, but would give them a route through the primary border crossing at Abu Kamal.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.