DAMASCUS, Syria — The news that Jaish al-Islam has withdrawn from the town of Adra al-Omalia, northeast of Damascus, came as a surprise Sept. 25. It was similar to when the force had taken control of the town overnight a year and nine months earlier. The withdrawal comes after rebel fighters took control last month of the neighborhood of al-Dukhanniya in eastern Ghouta.
With Jaish al-Islam’s loss of Adra, the Syrian army was able to restore part of the Qalamoun hills and the mountain of Ghouta.