FTO ACTIVITIES IN SYRIA
Throughout November, low-intensity fighting was observed in a number of governorates in Syria.
On November 11, state security units destroyed 24 militants of the Islamic State group (banned in the Russian Federation) during a special operation near the city of Deraa in Deraa governorate. Another 24 were arrested, and six improvised explosive devices were found and inactivated.
On November 18, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that the Syrian security authorities, during a special operation against terrorists in the governorates of Deraa and Es-Suwayda, discovered shelters and caches of weapons belonging to illegal armed groups. Two militants were killed, and four more were detained in the process.
On November 26, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced the suspension of their actions against Daesh militants in Hasakah governorate. This was reported by the Al-Hadas TV channel. “The SDF has suspended operations against Daesh due to bombing fr om the Turkish side,” an alliance spokesman said. He added that the SDF troops are “busy repelling Turkish attacks and if ISIS resumes its sorties, the responsibility for this will lie with the countries that are silent about Turkey's actions.”
On November 2, the SAR army repelled another attempt of the militants to break outside the al-Tanf zone in Homs governorate. A group of militants on two pickup trucks and three motorbikes attempted to break out of the US-controlled area. Syrian government troops successfully repelled the attack. One Syrian soldier was seriously injured.
On November 6, Syrian Air Force planes attacked the rear camp of terrorists belonging to the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group (HTS, banned in the Russian Federation), located in the west of the Idlib governorate. This was reported by the Al-Mayadin TV channel. According to them, the strikes were carried out on a training camp in the Kfar Jales region, wh ere militants undergo training, as well as on warehouses with weapons and military equipment.
According to the Russian military, on November 6, the missile forces and the SAR air force attacked the targets of the HTS terrorist group in response to an attack with drones on the SAR government forces in the Salma area in the Idlib de-escalation zone, which killed five servicemen of SAR Armed Forces. As a result of the strike, a militant training camp and underground shelters of illegal armed groups near Ashkhani-Takhtani settlement were destroyed. The strike eliminated 93 militants, including field commanders Saddam al-Dedali and Abdullah al-Ahmed. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Syrian Air Force also destroyed an unmanned aerial vehicle assembly workshop, a mobile electronic warfare station and up to forty attack drones prepared for use. It served to prevent high-profile sabotage and terrorist attacks at the facilities of the Syrian government forces and the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in Syria planned by the militants.
On November 15, the artillery of the Syrian army attacked the positions of HTS terrorist group militants in the south and east parts of the governorate. According to Al-Watan newspaper, the strikes came in response to repeated violations of the ceasefire over the previous three days by the militants in the northern part of the de-escalation zone. According to them, strikes were carried out on fortified areas in Sufuhan, El-Bari, Mavzaret-Visan, Neyrab, Maar-Balit and Maaret-Naasan. The enemy suffered losses in manpower and equipment.
On November 19, it was announced that the Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MIT) had carried out a successful anti-terrorist operation in northern Syria, detaining 11 Daesh militants. This was reported by the Anadolu agency, citing sources in the Turkish special services. According to them, the militants were captured in the area of the operation "Euphrates Shield" carried out by the Turkish army. More than 4,000 electric detonators, explosives and ammunition were confiscated from them. During interrogation, the detainees admitted that they provided logistical support and supplied weapons to organize attacks on the Gouweiran prison in Hasakeh governorate.
On November 30, it became known that the Daesh leader was eliminated in mid-October during an operation carried out in Syria by the Free Syrian Army. This was reported by the Central Command (CENTCOM) of the US Armed Forces. “The death of Abu al-Hasan al-Hashimi al-Qureishi in mid-October was another blow to Daesh. This operation was carried out by the Free Syrian Army in the Syrian governorate of Deraa,” the report said. As emphasized at the same time in the Pentagon, “Daesh continues to be a threat to the region.” “CENTCOM and our partners remain focused on the final defeat of Daesh,” the US military said.
For its part, Daesh confirmed the death of Abu al-Hasan al-Hashimi al-Qureishi. They also announced that Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qureishi became the fourth leader of the Daesh.