Illustrative image, By SANA
On August 30, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) split the ISIS-held pocket in the area of al-Safa north of the governorate of al-Suwayda after capturing key positions between the hill of Abu Ghanim and the and the area of Umm Marzakh, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).
The SANA’s reporter in al-Suwayda also said that the SAA artillery shelled the remaining positions of ISIS inside al-Safa and foiled several attempts of the terrorists to flee the besieged area.
A day earlier, local fighters ambushed a group of ISIS members who attempted to sneak out of al-Safa. The Syria-based al-Suwayda 24 blog said that three terrorists were killed and one other was captured during the ambush.
The remaining positions of ISIS north of al-Suwayda appear to be on the brink of collapse. However, the SAA will likely avoid boosting its military operation there in order to ensure the safety of around 30 civilians hostages, who were abducted by the terrorist group earlier this month.
