Syrian army liberates over half of IS-held pocket in country's southwest

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) has been on a roll in southwest Syria recently, liberating several areas inside the Islamic State’s large pocket in the Yarmouk Basin region, Al-Masdar News reports.

Backed by heavy airstrikes, the Syrian Arab Army made their large-scale advance, yesterday, when they broke through the Islamic State’s defenses at the northern corridor of the Yarmouk Basin.

Following an intense battle with the IS-affiliated Jaysh Khaled bin Walid forces, the Syrian Arab Army’s 4th Armored Division and Tiger Forces managed to liberate several important areas, including the towns of Tasil, Tal Jamou, and Jaleen.

In addition to liberating the towns, the Syrian army would later seize nearby Sahm Joulan, Sahm Joulan Dam, and Hayt.

Jaysh Khaled bin Walid had attempted to capture the town of Hayt for several years before the Free Syrian Army (FSA) handed it over before they fled the region.

With these major setbacks, the Islamic State finds themselves confined to a small area near the border of the occupied Golan Heights and Jordan.

The recent losses for the Islamic State have also given the Syrian Arab Army control of at least 50 pecent of the terrorist group’s formerly large pocket in southwest Syria.