Fresh off Thursday’s bus bombing in Damascus, Syrian and Russian forces have launched a two-day offensive against ISIS in and around Daraa.
Major Gen Oleg Yegorov said that the targets included those responsible for the bombing, and that 20 Islamists had been killed in the operations over 48 hours.
Raiding forces imposed a curfew on Jassim, one of few towns in the area that still has an Islamist presence. ISIS fighters are overwhelmingly hiding in the wilderness.
Along with high-profile attacks, ISIS has been trying to retake some territory to operate out of. Russia and Syria are quick to repel ISIS as opportunity presents.
The long-term question is what happens to the ISIS remnants. Twenty were killed in this offensive, but thousands remain in the region looking for opportunities.
Getting ISIS out of Daraa will mostly sequester them to the eastern border area, mostly desert between Kurdish and Syrian territory around Palmyra. It’s not clear if this offensive anticipates another, or if they’re just trying to keep ISIS tamped down.
US/Saudi going to try to bog down russia and make them fight a 2 front proxy with the West.
It is astonishing that there can be thousands of ISIS left. How can they support themselves without holding any territory? How do they get food every day? They must have no money by now.
And hasn’t Washington been talking for more than 20 years about being at war with terrorism? ISIS was the world’s worst terrorist organization. Shouldn’t attacking them be a priority?