After weeks of forestallment and the loss territory in the East Ghouta, the Syrian Arab Army’s 105th Brigade of the Republican Guard (Harss Al-Jamhouri) launched a number of powerful attacks on the militants from Jaysh Al-Islam (Army of Islam), recapturing areas near the rebel stronghold of Douma; specifically, the village of Tal Al-Sawan.

Unbeknownst to the militants of Jaysh Al-Islam, the 105th Brigade was preparing to storm their positions at 6:30 A.M. Damascus Time on Sunday morning; this attack resulted in the 105th Brigade breaking through the militants frontline defenses and subsequently capturing the northeastern part of Tal Al-Sawan.

The 105th Brigade was able to secure the whole village by nightfall, forcing the militants from Jaysh Al-Islam to retreat west to their stronghold in Douma. According to a military source, the 105th Brigade suffered 8 casualties; however, they did inflict heavy losses on the enemy combatants, killing 21 militants with the help of the Syrian Arab Air Force (SAAF).

Fierce clashes were reported at the eastern farms of Al-Balaa’, as the Syrian Army’s 4th Mechanized Division continues its assault on militant positions in this rural area. The 4th Mechanized Division’s progress has been obstructed due to the volatile weather conditions that have rendered much of their heavy armory immobile for the time-being.