Over the Christmas holiday it was reported that Syrian army units are making substantial gains in its desperate fight against the Islamic State group (ISIL) in the south and north of the country.
The army units have reportedly killed hundreds of terrorists in various running gun battles in several locations across the province of Quneitra, mostly in the southwestern areas.
Syrian Infantry units also pushed back hard against ISIL from two areas of the Qamishli region in the northeastern province of Hasakah – where fierce fighting is still being reported.
In the process over a dozen militants and Jihadis were killed, many reportedly carrying foreign passports and armed with sophisticated US manufactured weapons and equipment.
Syria has been in the grip of a foreign sponsored civil war since early 2011. The violence fuelled in part by foreign sponsored Takfiri groups which have swarmed into the country from all over the world. Thus far the violence has claimed the lives of over 200,000 people.
Most disturbing perhaps are reports that the US is helping train and support ISIL fighters, a charge the White House denies.
See video: US was responsible for training ISIS in Jordan http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhuo7-U7mOo
See video: US funding terrorists in Syria http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3wunzGveRM
See video: US funding terrorists organizations in Syria http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbIRGbeipbw
ISIL is also being funded by major US allies in the region, a senior US Defense Department Official admits. See video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UDg95uvvhU
ISIL terrorists maintain control over parts of Syria and Iraq, and continue to move freely across the Syrian/Turkish border region – which is now a conduit of foreign fighters, weapons and supplies into the country.
ISIL militants have targeted and killed people of all communities, particularly the Shias, Sunnis, Kurds and Christians. In fact ISIL are “committing egregious atrocities every day”, according to one Syrian commander who asked that we not use his name in our reports for security reasons.
The United Nations has held ISIL responsible for human rights abuses and war crimes, and Amnesty International has reported ethnic cleansing by the group on a “historic scale”. The group has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United Nations, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Indonesia, Canada, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, India, the UAE, and Egypt.
Over 60 countries are directly or indirectly waging war against ISIL.
(Reprinted from Ground Report.)