DAMASCUS, Syria — After a year and a half of preparation, Jaish al-Islam finally started a new battle Sept. 9 to take back Tel Kurdi and rid it of the regime's artillery battalion responsible for attacks on rebel-held eastern Ghouta. The operation, named Allah Ghaleb (God Prevails), took the fight through two military fronts separated by the Damascus-Homs International Highway.
The first front is from Douma, Jaish al-Islam’s main stronghold, toward the Tel Kurdi area in the northeast, overlooking the central prison of Adra and the city of Douma. The second is to the west, toward Harasta, all the way to the Dahyet al-Assad (al-Assad suburb) at Damascus' northern entrance. This is seen as a critical area, given the number of security branches surrounding it, not to mention that it is where many Syrian army officers and members of the security forces live.
