LATEST: Is Syrian Army Preparing Attempt to Take Douma, Northeast of Damascus?

Only weeks after it was proclaimed by observers as the victorious force in northern and eastern Syria, the Islamic State is said to be in a rapid retreat, with reports on Saturday that it has lost more than 100 villages and is pulling back to its central position in the city of Raqqa.

The catalyst for the changed fortunes was the Islamic State’s failure to capture the Kurdish center of Kobane, near the Turkish border, after a four-month offensive. Two weeks ago, Syrian Kurdish forces — assisted by Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga and Free Syrian Army units, as well as US-led airstrikes — finally pushed the jihadists out of the city of 60,000 people.

Syria Daily, Jan 27: After 4 Months, Kurds Defeat Islamic State in Kobane

Since then, the Syrian Kurdish YPG has pushed the Islamic State out of surrounding villages. On Saturday, the Kurdish outlet claimed that more than 100 villages had been retaken, with some up to 20 km (12 miles) from Kobane. Reports from social media echoed and extended the advance to 30 km (19 miles).

Other activists are claiming that the Islamic State is in a wider retreat and may even give up towns such as Jarablus, west of Kobane, which was captured by the jihadists in a fight with Syrian insurgents in January 2014. The jihadists are also said to be pulling out of towns in Aleppo Province in northwest Syria.

The claims point to a consolidation of the Islamic State in Raqqa, the largest city in Syria outside regime control. Raqqa was taken by insurgents in March 2013, but the jihadists gradually pushed out other factions, taking full control by the autumn.

Only last week, jihad-watchers were still hailing the Islamic State’s triumph in Raqqa as a symbol of its expansion across Syria. Thomas Hegghammer told The Wall Street Journal:

People go now because they envisage a future there, not just because they want to fight on behalf of the Syrian people. Many think it is a historical project that they can be part of, and that they will be remembered for being among the first — almost like the companions of the Prophet [Mohammad].

That proclamation has disappeared this morning. Still, its replacement with that of Islamic State defeat might be treated with caution. The jihadists still hold most of eastern Syria, battling regime forces in Deir Ez Zor and Hasakah Province. And even as it was pulling back from Kobane last week, the Islamic State was said to be threatening insurgents in other parts of northern Syria, including an assault on Marea in northeast Aleppo Province.

Is Syrian Army Preparing Attempt to Take Douma, Northeast of Damascus?

Claims circulated on social media on Saturday that the Syrian military might be preparing a ground offensive to take the Damascus suburb of Douma after months of siege and deadly bombardment.

Troops were said to be massing at Douma Farms to the north and Ar-Rayan Farms to the east.

State news agency SANA limited itself to the proclamation, “Army units destroyed two armored vehicles and eliminated many terrorists from the terrorist group known as Islam Army [Jaish al-Islam]….Activists from Douma reported that 36 terrorists were killed.

The regime has been trying to force civilians out of Douma by bombing and cutting off food and supplies. On Thursday alone, 76 people were killed in and near Douma, with more than 40 airstrikes on the town.

In response, rebels fired more than 100 rockets on military positions in Damascus on Thursday and threatened more if the airstrikes continued. However, the Syrian warplanes carried out more strikes on Friday and Saturday.

The Local Coordination Committees documented the deaths of 31 people near Damascus yesterday.