Russian and Syrian special forces rescue 19 hostages from IS

"On November 8, the Syrian army carried out a carefully planned special operation under the guidance of special forces officers from the Russian Reconciliation Center, rescuing 19 hostages who were captured by the Islamic State (IS) militants three months ago in Sweida province,"TASSNovember 9, citing a statement from the Russian Ministry of Defense.

The Russian military said the hostages rescued from the rebels in the operation included 15 children and four women and they had received the necessary support to be able to return to normal life soon.

IS previously attacked a refugee camp and took many civilians hostage to put pressure on the Syrian government army. The rebels claimed to have killed two hostages, a 25-year-old girl and a 19-year-old student, after the Damascus government failed to meet its demands for negotiations.

The Russian Defense Ministry has deployed a number of special forces to the Al-Safa volcano area in Sweida province to support the Syrian Army (SAA) in attacking the rebels entrenched there. Military sources said the special forces may not directly participate in the raid but act as advisors to Syrian soldiers on the ground and provide coordinates for Russian and Syrian warplanes to carry out airstrikes.

The SAA launched a major offensive in mid-July and besieged IS in Al-Safa. However, the rebels fought back fiercely and launched frequent counterattacks to break the siege. In the latest counterattack on November 1, IS gunmen took advantage of the element of surprise to raid, killing many Syrian government soldiers.