The Syrian Arab Army’s 104th Airborne Brigade of the Republican Guard (Harss Al-Jamhouri) has advanced to the southern Deir Ezzor city of Al-Shoula after capturing the strategic Salt Farms located 20 km from the provincial capital’s center.

Pushing further south, the SAA’s 104th Brigade was able to progress north of the Al-Shoula Laundromat, killing 19 confirmed Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS) militants, including Manaf Hassan Al-‘Abdullah, Hosni Mohammad Al-Tawfiq, and Mahmoud Mustafa Hamdan.

Fierce clashes between the 104th Brigade and ISIS continued at Palmyra-Deir Ezzor Road, with both forces fighting to control the entrance to the city; it is currently controlled by the SAA.

At Sakr Island (Haweeja Sakr), the 104th Brigade stormed the ISIS stronghold at the ‘Umm Hussein Farms, destroying a tractor and two armored vehicles mounted with doshkas; this attack also netted 13 ISIS fighters killed, including “Abu ‘Abdel-Rahman Al-Leebi” (Libyan) and “Abu Mohammad Al-Masri” (Egyptian).

According to a military source, a contingent from the SAA’s 18th Tank Divison has been redeployed to Deir Ezzor from eastern Homs after spending almost one year combatting ISIS militants in Jabal Al-Sha’ar.