The West

The campaign waged by the SDF forces against the ISIS enclave, which has lasted for over five months, is drawing to a close. Idlib and its environs: This week, the exchanges of artillery fire between the Syrian army and the rebel organizations continued, at a higher intensity than in the previous weeks. In the deserts in eastern and southern Syria, the Syrian army carried out offensive operations against ISIS operatives, who continued to conduct guerrilla warfare. While ISIS’s main control zone in the Lower Euphrates Valley is about to fall into the hands of the SDF, ISIS continued to fight in other arenas. Read more...

In the “pocket” along the Euphrates Valley, ISIS operatives halted the SDF forces and regained control of two villages in the southern part of their control area. In the city of Manbij and its environs there has been no change on the ground. In the Idlib area, clashes continued between the Syrian army and the Headquarters for the Liberation of Al-Sham and other jihadi organizations. In the United States, there is a debate about the severity of the threat posed by ISIS (in the ITIC’s assessment, the reason for the debate is the assessment that the campaign against ISIS in the enclave along the Euphrates River may end within a few weeks Read more...

The ISIS-controlled enclave on the east bank of the Euphrates River continues to shrink. In the city of Manbij and its environs, there has been no significant change on the ground. In the Idlib area, the Headquarters for the Liberation of Al-Sham continues to establish its control, mainly at the expense of the Turkish-affiliated rebel organizations. The main event in ISIS’s provinces abroad this week was a multi-casualty attack during a ceremony in a cathedral on the island of Sulu in the southern Philippines. Read more...