Syria: EI group's massive attack on the army near Sokhna

Text by: Paul Khalifeh Follow

Clashes between the forces of the Syrian regime and the jihadists of the Islamic State group have left some 40 dead in 48 hours in the desert center of the country at war, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

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From our correspondent in Beirut,

It was the heaviest toll and the most violent fighting between the Syrian army and the Islamic State group in almost three months. Clashes erupted overnight from Thursday to Friday around the city of Sokhna, 80 kilometers northeast of the ancient city of Palmyra, in the central desert of Syria, after a massive attack by jihadists.

After having lost several positions under the effect of surprise, the Syrian troops managed to stabilize this front with the help of the Russian aviation which went into action, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH ).

Sokhna is located on a major road connecting the central province of Homs to the city of Deir Ezzor in eastern Syria. It is regularly the target of attacks by jihadists in order to disrupt the supply routes of the Syrian army.

Despite the loss of its territorial caliphate, the Islamic State group still has large troops in the Badia desert, which stretches from the city of Homs to the Syrian-Iraqi border.

The jihadists are carrying out active guerrilla warfare against Syrian government troops west of the Euphrates, and against Kurdish militias supported by the United States east of the river.

► Read also: A Syrian researcher warns of the resurgence of the EI group in his country

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• Syria
• EI

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