The Syrian Arab Army’s 154th Artillery Brigade of the 4th Mechanized Division – in coordination with the National Defense Forces (NDF), Al-Ba’ath Battalions, and the Gozarto Protection Forces (Assyrian militia) – launched a counter-assault at the outskirts of southern Al-Hasakah in order to recapture the villages of Al-Watwatiyah and Al-Mishtal Al-Zura’yy from the militants of the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS).

For the Syrian Armed Forces, these two aforementioned villages (Al-Watwatiyah and Al-Mishtal Al-Zura’yy) were imperative to building a buffer-zone from the large presence of ISIS combatants lingering around the provincial capital’s southern outskirts; this was especially true after the SAA’s 154th Brigade recaptured the Al-Hasakah Power Plant and the Al-Ahdath Juvenile Detention Center located near the city’s southern entrance at the Panorama Roundabout.

On Sunday morning, the Syrian Armed Forces stormed ISIS’ frontline defenses at the villages of Al-Watwatiyah and Al-Mishtal Al-Zura’yy, killing 18 enemy combatants and destroying a half dozen of the terrorist organization’s armored vehicles that were mounted with a variety of anti-aircraft machine guns and doshkas.

Following the fierce assault by the Syrian Armed Forces, the latter was able to impose full-control over Al-Watwatiyah and Al-Mishtal Al-Zura’yy after a series of clashes with ISIS on Sunday morning, resulting in the subsequent withdrawal of the terrorist group’s combatants from these villages located in the outskirts of the provincial capital.

As a result of the Syrian Armed Forces’ successful counter-offensive, the militants from ISIS are now facing the possibility of complete defeat at the provincial capital’s southern front, as the SAA and their allies have proven to be a tougher challenge than the terrorist organization previously anticipated and confronted at the ancient city of Palmyra in the province of Homs.

The remaining challenge for the Syrian Armed Forces will be the recapture of Al-Dawoudiyah, Al-Salihiyah, and Rad Shaqra; these villages are located at the southeastern outskirts of Al-Hasakah City and they were originally under the SAA’s control before this terrorist offensive in the province.