AP, Beirut :Even as internationally backed forces chip away at ISIS-held territory in Syria, Iraq and Libya, the terrorist have demonstrated a stubborn resilience this week in the face of recent losses.The ISIS forces dealt an embarrassing setback to the Syrian army near the terrorists self-styled capital of Raqqa with a swift counteroffensive that rolled back incremental gains by troops loyal to President Bashar Assad.Pockets of extremist fighters north and west of Fallujah continued to hold off elite Iraqi special forces on Wednesday, preventing them from making significant advances one month after the government launched its campaign to retake the city west of Baghdad.And in the battle for the Libyan city of Sirte, pro-government forces besieging the ISIS stronghold were stunned by renewed clashes there, with 36 people killed, a hospital spokesman said.Just two weeks ago, the ISIS had suffered setbacks in all three countries in the region where the Sunni terrorist group captured large tracts of territory in Iraq and Syria two years ago.Seesaw battles raged in Syria’s Raqqa province, with ISIS fighters retaking areas from government forces on Tuesday.Two days earlier, the Syrian troops briefly seized an ISIS-held oilfield in Thawra and threatened to retake the Tabqa air base, which would have opened a direct line for troops to the city of Raqqa.The government began its highly publicized campaign to retake Raqqa on June 2.On Sunday, the troops advanced to within 6 miles (10 kilometers) of the Tabqa base, which is about 28 miles (45 kilometers) from Raqqa and holds strategic and symbolic value for the government.It was the last position held by government forces in Raqqa province before the terrorist overran it in August 2014, killing scores of detained Syrian soldiers in a massacre documented on ISIS video.The commander of an elite, pro-government militia known as the Desert Hawks explained the government’s rapid withdrawal from large parts of Raqqa province.”It is vital to understand that (IS) adopted new tactics to fight the Desert Hawks in this area,” said retired Gen. Mohamad Jaber.Writing on his Facebook page on Tuesday, he said the terrorist were sending explosives-packed vehicles at the pro-government line, and he predicted the battle for Tabqa would be “harsh and mighty.”Activists gave conflicting casualty counts for civilians killed in airstrikes on the city of Raqqa, with death tolls ranging from 18 to 32. Differing casualty figures are common in reporting from Syria’s civil war, now in its sixth year.The activists said the Syrian air force, backed by warplanes from its ally, Russia, had pummeled the ISIS extremists after government losses earlier this week.The US-led coalition also has been bombing Raqqa. Col. Christopher Garver, the Baghdad-based spokesman for the coalition, told The Associated Press that four airstrikes were carried out on Tuesday near Raqqa.They targeted an ISIS tactical unit, a finance center, a headquarters and an oil facility, Garver said. He had no reports on casualties.The activist group known as Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently said at least one of the airstrikes targeted a neighborhood popular among “foreign fighters” – terrorists who have traveled to Syria to fight with the ISIS group.In northern Syria, U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish forces encircled ISIS terrorists in the town of Manbij, a vital position that connects the Turkish border to Raqqa.As the Iraqi military offensive to retake Fallujah entered its second month Wednesday, clashes continued to try to dislodge ISIS terrorists from besieged neighborhoods.Iraqi special forces pushed into the center of the city last week and retook a government compound and the central hospital. Officials said they are still working to secure the territory.At the central hospital, Corp. Ahmad Ahmad warned that only parts of the first floor were fully cleared of homemade bombs because teams specializing in defusing the explosives are in short supply and have been mostly deployed to help troops on the front lines.Ahmad said his forces had not preformed house-to-house searches in surrounding buildings, including the Khalifa Mosque along Fallujah’s main highway.”Right now, we are focusing on clearing the roads,” he said, adding that the painstaking process of searching buildings would require more troops and risk greater casualties.Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said Friday that Fallujah had “returned to the embrace of the nation,” and that remaining ISIS pockets would be “cleaned out within hours.”Clashes have persisted, however, with terrorists holed up in dense residential neighborhoods along the city’s northern edge.On Tuesday, the US-led coalition said only a third of Fallujah has been “cleared,” and other parts remain contested. Iraqi commanders say 80 percent of the city is under their control.Fallujah is one of the last ISIS stronghold in Iraq. At the height of its power, the group held nearly a third of the country, but a string of territorial losses has left only pockets of territory in Iraq’s north and west under ISIS control.
