As opposition fights Assad, ISIS advances west of Daraa

Taking advantage of the Free Syrian Army (FSA)’s preoccupation with fighting Iran-backed foreign militias in al-Mensheyya neighborhood in Daraa, ISIS-affiliate ’Khalid Ibn al-Walid Army’ launched Monday morning (February 20) an attack on FSA’s positions located in the al-Yarmouk area, west of Daraa.

The ISIS group was able to occupy the towns of Tseel, Tal al-Jomoo’ and Jaleen as the fighting continued in the towns of Hiet, Adwan and al-Sheikh Saad.

Activists reported that the FSA is currently counter-attacking the locations captured by the ISIS group to regain control of over the lost areas.

The ISIS-affiliate launched an intense campaign of arrests. They detained dozens of civilians from the occupied towns, imposing a curfew.

Yarmouk region, west of Daraa, has been witnessing violent clashes between the FSA and the ISIS group for more than three months, amid a very difficult humanitarian situation that has hit more than 50 thousand civilians of the region’s population.