The Syrian Arab Army’s 104th Airborne Brigade of the Republican Guard (Harss Al-Jamhouri) has slid under the radar in the Deir Ezzor Governorate, as they continue to progress south of the provincial capital, while the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS) concentrates its resources in the Al-Hasakah and Aleppo Governorates.

With ISIS eyeing the Deir Ezzor Military Airport, recent reinforcements from the SAA’s 18th Tank Brigade and the 104th Brigade have pushed their way to the strategic village of Al-Shoula after they captured the Salt Farms (20km from Deir Ezzor City) on Sunday.

The SAA’s 104th Brigade – in coordination with the 18th Tank Brigade and local tribal fighters – has broken-through ISIS’ frontline defenses near the Al-Shoula Laundromat and entered the village from the northern entrance, killing at least 20 enemy combatants in the process, including Jamaal Basheer Qa’qa, “Abu ‘Ubeida Al-Leebi” (Libyan), “Abu Waleed Al-Masri” (Egyptian), ‘Ali Isma’eel Fawzi (SAA defector from Aleppo), Bassel Hussein Al-‘Umran, and Radwan Habib Maysam.

At the village of Al-Jafra, the SAA’s 104th Brigade targeted a group of ISIS militants attempting to sneak past a checkpoint; this resulted in a violent confrontation that led to the death of 7 ISIS fighters.

ISIS militants attempted to break-through the SAA’s frontline defenses near the Al-Jubeileh Bank; however, their attack was repelled after sustaining significant casualties during their infiltration attempt.