The battle for Sheikh Miskeen has turned into a blood bath between two sides hell-bent on imposing their will on one another. Despite the barrage of artillery shells and gunfire, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA)/National Defense Forces (NDF) and Jabhat Al-Nusra have been deadlocked in a tug-of-war battle that has seen both sides make significant gains, only to retreat hours later due to counter-offensives launched by the opposing side.