Al-Moallem: Cessation of hostilities agreement reflects the Syrian State’s confidence in victory

Syrian War Report – December 29, 2016: YPG Withdrawing From Aleppo City?

On December 29, preliminary reports appeared that an evacuation agreement were made between the Syrian military and militants operating in Syrian Ayn al-Fijah, Baseema and Dayr Qanoon in the Wadi Barda region northwest of Damascus. Local sources reported that militants are divided over the withdrawal issue. So, most likely, the Syrian military will be pushed to make a series of separate of withdrawal agreements until the whole region is liberated.

A day before, on December 28, the Syrian army and Hezbollah, backed up by the Syrian Air Force, continued to storm Jabhat Fatah al-Sham and Ahrar al-Sham defense lines. Clashes were reported at the villages of Souq Wadi Barada, Kafr al-Awamid, al-Husyaniyah and Baseema. As a result, the Syrian army and Hezbollah entered Baseema and seized a number of buildings there. According to local sources, a part of militants holding a defense line there just fled to Dayr Qanoon and Kafr Az Zayt where no clashes were reported. About 20 militants were reportedly killed in the operation.

Kurdish YPG forces are withdrawing from the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood of Aleppo city, according to reports circulating in YPG- and rebel-linked media outlets and social media accounts. The Ara News press agency reported on Tuesday that about 50 YPG fighters had already left the neighborhood and headed towards the northern countryside of Aleppo. Nonetheless, this report cannot be confirmed independently.

Earlier in December, information appeared that the Syrian government was going to demilitarize Sheikh Maqsoud after the YPG or the SDF how the mainstream media prefers to call Kurdish forces allegedly decided to accept into its ranks a group of 250 Fatah Halab militants that had fled from eastern Aleppo. If this decision is confirmed, the real reason of possible tensions between YPG/SDF units and pro-government forces in Aleppo will be exposed.

On December 28, the Turkish state-run Anadolu news agency reported that Turkey and Russia had agreed for a nation-wide ceasefire effort in Syria that was set to be launched at midnight local time on December 29. After Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on the agreement, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was pushed to clarify that the two countries had only prepared a text of the truce accord to be presented to the warring parties. On December 29, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said that the Syrian government and armed opposition groups have reached an agreement on a ceasefire in Syria and on readiness to start peace talks.

ISIS Terrorists Lost 12 Units Of Military Equipment In Desperate Attacks On Tyas Airbase

29.12.2016

ISIS terrorists have continued desperate attacks against Syrian government forces at the Tyas Airbase and nearby points.

Since December 27, ISIS has launched 3 attacks against the Syrian army and its allies in the area, but failed to achieve any sucess.

2 battle tanks, 7 armoured vehicles and 3 vehicles equipped with machine guns belonging to the terrorist group were destroyed, according to pro-government sources.

The ISIS advance in the area is in a dead-lock. Terrorists failed to encircle the Tyas Airbase and are not able to break government defenses there.

The Syrian military has continued to deploy reinforcements to the battlefront against ISIS terrorists near the Tyas Airbase in the province of Homs. Pro-government sources say that the government is set use a 10,000-strong offensive force led by the Tiger Forces, the Desert Hawks Brigade and Hezbollah in the expected military operation to retake the ancient city of Palmyra. While local sources confirm the fact of deployment of additional fighters, it’s hard to expect that a major-scale military operation to retake Palmyra can be started in the nearest future. Most likely this will be a goal for 2017.

Clashes between ISIS and US-backed YPG forces continued on December 27 and 28 north of the Tabqa dam in the province of Raqqah. ISIS attacked YPG units near the vilalges of Jabar, Suwaydiya Saghirah and West Tareq. As a result terrorists stopped the YPG advance on the Tabqa dam but were not able to prevent Kurdish forces from expanding their zone of control along the Khirbat al-Sharafat-Widyan road.

ISIS-linked ‘Amaq’ news agency reported on Tuesday that the US-led coalition airpower accidentally hit YPG forces near Jabar. Nonetheless, no photo or video proofs were provided. YPG-linked media outlets and activists ignored the report.

Syrian government forces repelled an ISIS attack in the area of Deir Ezzor. Last night ISIS units advanced on Syrian army positions in the Rashidiyah Neighborhood but failed to overrun government forces defenses and retreated. Over 20 ISIS terrorists were killed.

Turkey’s President Recep Erdogan said at a press conference on Tuesday that Turkey has evidence that the US-led coalition providing support to terrorist groups in Syria, including ISIS and Kurdish militias linked to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). “We have confirmed evidence, with pictures, photos and videos,” he said.

Earlier this week, Turkey blamed the US-led coalition for a lack of air support after the Turkish Army and pro-Turkish militants had repeatedly failed to break ISIS defenses near al-Bab.

Commenting on Ankara’s accusations, US State Department spokesman Mark Toner said Erdogan’s claims were “ludicrous.” Toner added that Washington is “100 percent behind the defeat and destruction of Daesh [ISIS], even beyond Syria and Iraq.”

A major problem with these statements aiming to show that Washington and Ankara are deeply involved in the battle against ISIS is that they don’t answer to a question: Why had US and Turkish forces been allowing the ISIS oil smuggling business in Syria and Iraq until Russia launched a wide-scale campaign to destroy it in 2015?

SYRIAN WAR REPORT – DECEMBER 27, 2016: MILITANTS IN DARAA SURRENDER TO SYRIAN ARMY

On December 26 and December 27, the Russian Aerospace Forces and the Syrian Air Force were delivering massive airstrikes on Jabhat Fatah al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra, the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda) targets in the Idlib-Aleppo countryside, according to local sources. The activity of the Syrian-Russian air power in the area was synchronized with reports about deployment of a high number of Hezbollah and Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba and Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fighters for an operation in the area of Hader and Qarassi.

Mass graves of torture victims have been uncovered in the Syrian city of Aleppo, the Russian Defense Ministry announced on December 26.

“Mass burial sites of many dozens [of Syrians], who had been subjected to brutal torture and [then] murdered, have been found,” Maj. Gen. Konashenkov said. The Russian general said that the cases are being thoroughly recorded as heavy war crimes to be put to maximum publicity “so that European backers of the so-called opposition in London and Paris are well aware of who their wards actually are.”

Konashenkov added that militants of the “moderate opposition” mined in eastern Aleppo nearly everything: streets, entrances to premises, and cars.

Russian engineers are working to demine the city.

Earlier reports appeared that government forces seized large stocks of ammunition and weapons in the liberated parts of Aleppo: missiles, mortar shells, assault rifles, various kind of munitions and humanitarian aid.

Tensions among various militant factions on more time erupted in the province of Idlib where Jabhat Fatah al-Sham raided houses and arrested a number of Liwa Suqur al-Jabal militants that had returned to Idlib after participation in the Turkey-led Operation Euphrates Shield in northern Aleppo. The event took place in Kansafra and followed sporadic reports that Liwa Suqur al-Jabal had been redeploying fighters to Idlib to oppose the expected government offensive in the area.

Kurdish YPG forces have been continuing to develop the momentum against ISIS in the province of Raqqah. The YPG is working to secure the area north of the Tabqa Dam, controlled by ISIS. When it’s done, Kurdish forces will likely attempt to retake this strategic site from the terrorist group. Especially heavy clashes are now ongoing in the area of Jabar.

A high number of militants has laid down arms and joined the reconciliation process with the Syrian government in the province of Daraa. The event took place in the government-held town of al-Sanamyen north of the provincial capital. The total numbers of Free Syrian Army members that had laid their arms and took the amnesty were estimated from 150 to 250. Local sources argue that this was a prelude to a wider reconciliation agreement in the province that will allow government forces to set control over all parts over the city of Daraa.

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