Government, Iranian militia launch security campaign in Syria’s Homs
DEIR EZ-ZOR, Syria (North Press) – Syrian government forces and Iranian-backed militia launched on Wednesday a campaign to pursue sleeper cells of Islamic State (ISIS) in Sukhnah Desert in the eastern countryside of Homs, central Syria.
A military source of government forces told North Press that Special Forces of Divisions 4 and 17, affiliated with the government forces, and the Iranian-backed Liwa Fatemiyoun and Quds Forces launched a joint campaign to pursue ISIS sleeper cells in the Sukhnah Desert.
The campaign will run for three days, and warplanes and helicopters will be used in it, the source added.
This campaign takes place following the repeated targets against the government forces and the Iranian-backed militia, the last of which targeting a civilian bus by a missile attack two days ago carrying government soldiers, killing three of them and injuring two others, according to the source.
The Syrian Desert covers nearly half of the area of Syria, and is distributed over the governorates of Deir ez-Zor, Raqqa, Aleppo, Homs, Hama, Rif Dimashq, Suwayda and Palmyra.
The Iranian-backed militias and government forces control large areas of the Syrian Desert and the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor, which constitutes a source of concern as it witnesses intensive operations by ISIS sleeper cells.