ISIS has no where to run as rebels recapture Adwan & Sahm al-Jawlan – Map update
During the afternoon, Islamist groups of Jabhat al-Nusra, Islamic Front, Ahrar ash-Sham and the Free Syrian Army recaptured the towns of Adwan and Sahm al-Jawlan in western Daraa. This entire area – along with many neighbouring villages – was captured last month by two ISIS affiliate groups, namely the Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade and Islamic Muthanna Movement.
Today’s rebel advance comes on top of capturing 5 other villages from ISIS east of the captured towns captured today. However, the entire ISIS-held area in western Daraa was rebel-held just two years ago; reason being that the Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade and the Islamic Muthanna Movement defected from rebel ranks to ISIS when the latter was gaining momentum elsewhere in Syria in 2014.
Now, Islamist rebel forces will likely push to capture Tasil (Taseel) which is situated geographically west of Adwan and north of Sahm al-Jawlan. If the rebels can seize the strategic town of Tasil, they will have ISIS cornered inside the province and utterly cut from the Islamic State mainland in northern and eastern Syria. Subsequently, these events also have ISIS pushed against a wall at the border with Israel and Jordan.
As these countries are unlikely to have ISIS fighters pour across their borders, militants loyal to the Islamic State must now either sue for a regional peace deal with the Syrian Opposition groups or fight them to the death.
Source: http://www.almasdarnews.com/?p=47946 | Al-Masdar News
