Fierce battle rages over a key Syrian town

Syria – The battle for Hama, a city in west-central Syria, and its surrounding areas, is in full swing. The al Qaeda-affiliated coalition of jihadist militia groups, known as Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), has initiated a large scale offensive in the last 48 hours. HTS and other militia groups have committed a large share of available forces to attack the Syrian regimes Arab Army (SAA) positions in the Hama area.

Early Friday dawn, 3 suicide car bombs (SVBIEDs) belonging to HTS struck government stronghold positions in Qomhana, north of Hama. One of the suicide vehicles, described as a silver metal Toyota Highlander, successfully breached the defensive perimeter of the army encampment. At the time of writing, the resulting battle has been raging for nearly 8 hours.

The al Qaeda-affiliated groups remain the premier enemy of the Syrian regime in the Hama area right now. After the successful SVBIED attack on the defensive perimeter, HTS attacked using a captured Syrian Army T-90 tank. The battle for the strategically important hub of Qomhana has utterly destroyed any lines of coherent defense – the offensive and defensive lines of the Syrian army and the militants look more like that of a fractured windshield than that of ordered military lines dividing the battlefield.

Reports from the Hama frontlines throughout the night, before the initial dawn attack, indicated that rebels and jihadist militia groups alike have been pouring resources into the battle in Hama. At the same time, reports have emerged that 70% of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) units deployed to the Turkish lead offensive on al Bab have been diverted to the Hama frontline. The FSA units deployed are said to be intended to support the Syrian and affiliated militia groups frontlines.

While the ground offensive is ongoing, the HTS affiliated militia group Jaish al-Nasra has been shelling regime positions at the Hama airbase with truck mounted Russian manufactured BM-21 Grad rockets from mountain positions.

If Qomhana falls to the Jihadi coalition it will spell disaster for the Syrian regime’s efforts in the region. The resilient town of Hama and surrounding areas have never been taken over by militia groups before, having a traditionally strong regime military presence. The strategic location west of the Jabal Zayn al-Abdin mountain has historically meant that it is a high priority for forces seeking to control the through paths in the area. As such, it has become a hub for Syrian regime’s forces staging counter-rebel and militia operations throughout the area, and a prime target for rebel and militia homegrown rockets.

Follow @JohnSjoholmLC and @LimaCharlieMENA for the latest developments.

John Sjoholm, Lima Charlie News

John Sjoholm is Lima Charlie’s Middle East Bureau Chief, Managing Editor, and founder of the consulting firm Erudite Group. A seasoned expert on Middle East and North Africa matters, he has a background in security contracting and has served as a geopolitical advisor to regional leaders. He was educated in religion and languages in Sana’a, Yemen, and Cairo, Egypt, and has lived in the region since 2005, contributing to numerous Western-supported stabilisation projects. He currently resides in Jordan. Follow John on Twitter @JohnSjoholmLC

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