IDLIB — The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) wrote on Facebook Jan. 29 that the Islamic State organization (IS) escalated activities in January within the Aleppo-Hama-Raqqa triangle, in addition to the desert area of Homs and Deir ez-Zor. Military operations are conducted on a daily basis in this area as part of the Syrian regime's and Russia's attempts to stop IS activities.
According to SOHR statistics, IS killed 153 members of the regime forces and pro-regime militias in January in the Syrian Desert, out of which 70 members were killed in five IS ambushes. The rest were targeted in clashes, roadside bombs or landmines. In contrast, 81 IS militants were killed in Russian airstrikes and clashes with the regime forces and pro-regime militias.
