Over 50 Killed as Syrian Forces Fight ISIS in Homs Province

Two days of fighting in the desert ended by Russian airstrikes

At least 51 fighters were killed and a number of others wounded in two days of heavy fighting in the Homs Province, when ISIS remnant forces attacked the Syrian military at multiple sites in the desert.

This led to intense fighting, which ultimately ended Saturday when Russian warplanes got involved and carried out airstrikes. 20 Syrian troops were killed, along with 31 ISIS fighters. No territory is believed to have changed hands.

ISIS remnants are active in a few parts of Syria still, though generally only in deserts, and they are not believed to actually control towns any longer. Rooting them out is complicated, though so far, Syrian forces are just content to wait for ISIS to attack first and then counter-attack on them.

Syria’s government controls the majority of the country after years of war. Turkish rebels still hold the north, along with al-Qaeda affiliates. The US also controls a small area around an oilfield.

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.