the bulk of ISIS are now strung out along the euphrates in a series of small towns from raqqa to al-qaim with DeZ as a eyesore in the middle. not all are fighters...there are equal number of admins, wives, kids, camp followers, captives, slaves, teachers, psychopaths and so on.
then there are strong pockets of ISIS in al sukhanah, tabqa town, eastern homs mountains , al quraytyn mountains and al maskanah plains. the ones in al quraytyn are probably not "core" ISIS this far west but local militias who pledged allegiance to the khalifa at some point and then got funds and weapons.
then there is a mysterious ISIS west of daraa abutting the israeli border who miraculously get all the weapons they need, but NOT from jordan , NOT from israel but FROM thin air
they fight the FSA to pass the time.
in east ghouta a bloodbath is ongoing between AQ and ISIS to see who gets to rule. SAA is patiently watching this attrition as it makes their eventual job easier. east ghouta is real close to damascus as is a non-negotiable for assad to recapture it. in southern regions unlike aleppo, the SAA generally prefers to surround rebel areas to avoid civilian deaths and then wait it out until they relent and board the green buses to Idlib.
