After killing nearly 35 ISIS member | Russian jets continue their intensive airstrikes on the desert, along with ongoing combing campaign
SOHR sources have reported that the recent security campaign by Russian forces and their proxy militia of the 5th Corps continues in the area from south Deir Ezzor desert to Al-Sukhnah desert in the eastern countryside of Homs, as these forces are combing the region, searching for ISIS cells which are prevalent throughout the Syrian desert. The campaign, which was launched yesterday, coincides with intensive airstrikes by Russian jets on those areas, which target caves and bunkers which ISIS members believed to be holed up in.
This development comes after the Russian jets managed to kill 35 ISIS members in the past few days, and the breakdown of fatalities could distributed as follows:
Nine members were killed in the desert between Deir Ezzor and Homs.
26 members were killed in the airstrikes on Jabal Abu Rajmayn, Al-Sukhnah desert and positions in the north-east of Palmyra.
Yesterday, SOHR activists said that Russian jets executed more than 220 airstrikes on the Syrian desert in 72 hours, before Russian forces and their proxy militia of the 5th Corps started combing operations in search for ISIS cells prevalent in the Syrian desert, as the combing operations were concentrated in Homs desert.
Meanwhile, Russian media declared that 200 members of the Islamic State were killed in Russian airstrikes on their base in the Syrian desert, while SOHR sources confirmed that ISIS members gather in small groups. This Russian announcement might come as a response to information circulated by ISIS in the past hours regarding the killing of Russian soldiers in the desert.
Moreover, military columns of the 25th Division and Russian-backed militias set off from Idlib frontlines and Hama countryside, heading to Homs desert in the morning, to participate in the combing operations with Russian forces and the 5th Corps.
SOHR sources reported earlier that day that SOHR sources reported that Russian forces and their proxy militiamen of the 5th Corps launched a combing campaign in the area from south Deir Ezzor desert to Al-Sukhnah desert in the eastern countryside of Homs, in search for ISIS cells prevalent in the Syrian desert. The campaign coincided with frequent flights by Russian helicopters and airstrikes by Russian jets, which targeted positions in the region.
It is worth noting that ISIS announced, 48 hours earlier, that it managed to shot dead to Russian soldiers during an airdrop in Al-Sukhnah desert in the eastern countryside of Homs. However, SOHR could not verify these claims.