U.S Army Soldiers with Battery C, 1st Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, Task Force Strike, load a round into M777 artillery piece to support the Iraqi security forces during the Mosul counter offensive, Dec. 24, 2016, in northern Iraq. Battery C is supporting the ISF with indirect fires in their fight against ISIL. (U.S. Army photo by 1st Lt. Daniel Johnson)
The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) continued slowly advancing the Bir Qasab and Al-Dakwa in the desert east of the Syrian capital of Damascus.
Furthermore, warplanes of the Russian and Syrian air forces continued targeting US-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) militants in the area aiming to force them to withdraw from the area.
The US-led coalition announced it had reinforced its forces in the Al-Tanf area on the Syrian-Iraqi border. The coalition also said that it views the “Iranian-backed forces” as a threat to its troops in Syria, which are fighting ISIS.
According to the commander of Jaish Maghawir al-Thawra, Muhannad al-Tala, there are currently 150 US soldiers in the Al-Tanf, along with soldiers from five other countries of the US-led coalition, including two Arab countries.
According to unconfirmed reports, Syrian government forces are currently located 40 kilometers from the town of Al-Tanf.
It is believed that the current priority of the SAA is to secure the capital Damascus through regaining control of Al-Dakwa and Bir Qasab.
Later, Syrian forces might attempt to advance toward the Iraqi border by capturing ISIS-held areas in northern Al-Tanf instead of confronting with US forces.
