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On February 15, ISIS-affiliated Jaysh Khalid ibn al-Walid renewed its attack against the Free Syrian Army (FSA) in the southern governorate of Daraa. The ISIS-linked news agency Amaq reported that Jaysh Khalid ibn al-Walid fighters had ambushed and killed four fighters of the FSA around the village of al-Sheikh Sa’d in the western Daraa countryside.
Moreover, the Syrian pro-opposition news outlet SMART reported that Jaysh Khalid ibn al-Walid had shelled many FSA-held villages in the western Daraa countryside during its attack. Several civilians were reportedly killed and injured in the shelling.
From its side, Syrian opposition sources reported that FSA fighters had repelled a large attack of Jaysh Khalid ibn al-Walid on a strategic checkpoint south of al-Sheikh Sa’d. The sources said that FSA fighters had killed and injured several fighters of the terrorist group.
Jaysh Khalid ibn al-Walid had launched a similar attack on FSA positions in the village of Hayt in the western Daraa countryside on February 8 and captured several key positions. However, Ahrar al-Sham stepped in and recaptured all the positions that the FSA lost on February 11.
Three FSA groups, the Islamic Muthanna Movement, the Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade and the Army of Mujahedeen merged and formed Jaysh Khalid ibn al-Walid on May, 21 2016. Than the group joined ISIS. Since then, the terrorist group has managed to impose its control over a large pocket in the western Daraa countryside, along the border with Jordan and Israel.
