The Syrian Armed Forces offensive in the direction of Raqqa continues. The front line is now at 18 km from the Tabqa air base and around 60 from the self-proclaimed capital of the Caliphate.
The difficulties of the Islamist militants would be confirmed by ISIS reinforcements sent from the north-east of Palmyra. Not by chance the 60 armored brigadesa e 67a of the army in the last 24 hours would have advanced several kilometers beyond the liberated archaeological area, reconquering the village of Arak without finding particular resistance. 40 km would be missing from the important city of Al Sukhna, the last major center before the Euphrates and Deir el-Zor.
Local military sources report that even from the Aleppo region ISIS columns would have been dropped to converge on the Raqqa front to the south, vital for the survival of the Islamic State.
The speed of advancement of Damascus troops in the last two weeks owes much to the conformation of the terrain. The area south west of the Euphrates is flat, deserted and uninhabited. This prevents the terrorists from applying the ambush techniques congenial to them and allows the Syrian armored vehicles to move faster.
Please note that in recent months most of the suicide attacks carried out by the Caliphate terrorists have occurred through Humvees stolen en masse from the Iraqi army. Official Baghdad sources speak of 2300 means captured (we have no confirmation on the indolence of the Iraqi troops also formed by complacent Sunnis nda). The Humvees they allow the transport of high loads of explosives and thanks to armor a good defense of the suicide driver who therefore has a greater chance of approaching the target. The technique was exported from Iraq to Syria, but in desert contexts where ISIS militants are completely exposed to fire, it is not effective.
Among other things, the Syrian T-90 are proving to be capable of resisting many anti-tank weapons, making the defense of the militia even more difficult.
Another determining factor in the desert area of Tabqa is the air superiority that allows to neutralize isolated targets as check points or artillery positions without side effects. Russian-Syrian raids would also be underway at this time.
In the coming days the strengthening of Syrian units lined up at the front will be decisive. The lines of communication and supply have grown and it is therefore probable that the positions will be consolidated before a further approach to Raqqa, where American sources would indicate from the 3000 to the Islamist 5000 present.
It is precisely from the ISIS front that a large-scale reaction is expected with attacks in urban centers and probably the settlement of the defenses in the inhabited areas, creating a pattern not very different from that of Fallujah in Iraq.
CNN speaks of a coordination between Russians and Americans for the offensive on Raqqa conducted from the north and south simultaneously. Actually the successes of the Kurdish militias SDF backed by US special forces in recent days they would have concentrated in the area east of Aleppo. The Syrian government has never approved the presence of US troops in Syria and it is likely that once the Islamic State has been neutralized, between pro-American Kurds in the north-east and Damascus supported by Moscow, there will be a march. The balance will paradoxically be Turkey.
(photo: SAA)
