DAMASCUS, Syria — After a year and a half of preparation, Jaish al-Islam finally started a new battle Sept. 9 to take back Tel Kurdi and rid it of the regime's artillery battalion responsible for attacks on rebel-held eastern Ghouta. The operation, named Allah Ghaleb (God Prevails), took the fight through two military fronts separated by the Damascus-Homs International Highway.

The first front is from Douma, Jaish al-Islam’s main stronghold, toward the Tel Kurdi area in the northeast, overlooking the central prison of Adra and the city of Douma. The second is to the west, toward Harasta, all the way to the Dahyet al-Assad (al-Assad suburb) at Damascus' northern entrance. This is seen as a critical area, given the number of security branches surrounding it, not to mention that it is where many Syrian army officers and members of the security forces live.

A day after the start of the battle, Jaish al-Islam managed to fully control the Tel Kurdi area, surrounding hills and some buildings around the central prison of Adra. This Sept. 10 achievement was announced on the group’s official Facebook page and Twitter account. Later on, the group posted photos and video footage explaining the battle operations in the region.

For its part, the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) made no reference to the fall of Tel Kurdi, saying only in a brief statement Sept. 12, “Army units and armed forces have deterred infiltration attempts on the part of some terrorists into the military points in Adra and the Tel Kurdi area in eastern Ghouta, killing a number of them and confiscating their weapons and ammunition.”