ISIS apparently making a comeback in Syria

Ali Rajab

The eastern countryside of the western Syrian city of Homs was the scene of fierce battles between the Syrian army and members of the terrorist Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) organization.

The battles attest to the reemergence of ISIS in the area, following a period of slump the terrorist organization used in serving the interests of Turkey and its president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Battles also raged in different parts of the countryside of Homs, which is part of the Syrian Desert region, according to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

These battles coincide with airstrikes by Russia on ISIS fighters. Helicopters affiliated to the Syrian army also started attacking ISIS members in the area.

The observatory documented major human losses in the past 48 hours as a result of airstrikes and battles in the area.

Around 21 Syrian troops were killed in the battles along with 13 ISIS members, the observatory said.

It said the number of dead victims of the battles and the strikes is expected to rise in the coming hours or days, given the critical condition of some of those who were injured in these confrontations.

ISIS staged a series of attacks on Syrian army troops in the area in the past few days. It said in a recent video that it would continue to launch attacks against the army in the coming period.

Around 869 troops were killed in attacks by ISIS between March 24, 2019 and the present, according to the observatory.

It said those killed in the attacks included 140 members of pro-Iran militias and two Russians.