ISIL’s plan to storm Damascus

The militants traveled through the Damascus sewer system and successfully entered two buildings in the Midan Neighborhood before residents alerted security forces of their presence. The security forces blockaded the area and surrounded the two buildings the assailants occupied, forcing the militants to either surrender or fight.

The militants refused to surrender; this resulted in a violent confrontation between the two parties. Security forces killed 25 members of Jaysh Al-Islam and arrested 3 others who were caught hiding in the building. One of the Jaysh Al-Sham fighters was found in a trash container, after security forces searched the buildings for any remaining militants. The security forces announced the area secured around 11:30 A.M. Damascus Time.

In the Qalamoun Mountains, the Syrian Arab Army and Hezbollah ambushed a large contingent of Jabhat Al-Nusra fighters in the village of Falita. According to a military source, 33 members of Al-Nusra Front were killed in the ambush, with another 13 fighters surrendering to the Syrian Arab Army and Hezbollah.

Also in the Qalamoun Mountains, the prominent member and field commander of Jabhat Al-Nusra, Abu ‘Umar Al-Homsi, was killed during a firefight with the Syrian Arab Army. Al-Homsi was notorious for leading operations in the province of Homs before the ceasefire agreement in the Old City.

Approximately, 120 militants from Saqour Al-Zabadani (Falcons of Al-Zabadani) surrendered to the Syrian Arab Army in Al-Zabadani. The militants were offered a hearing for amnesty, which President Bashar Al-Assad reaffirmed to the public in July.

The Syrian Arab Army stormed Jaysh Al-Islam positions in the East Ghouta village of Al-Dakhaniyya, killing dozens of militants in clashes today. According to a military source, the Syrian Arab Army has made considerable gains in Al-Dakhaniyya, as the soldiers captured two building blocks in this integral village.