Syria in Last 24 Hours:

Army Scores More Victories against ISIL in Eastern Aleppo

Rasa - The Syrian army forces continued military operations against the ISIL in Eastern Aleppo and regained control of several other towns from the terrorists, including the strategic Khafseh town near Lake Assad.

News ID: 428016

Date: 09 March 2017 - 23:33

RNA - The army units stormed the ISIL's defense lines in Eastern Aleppo, and regained control of the strategic town of al-Khafseh.

The Syrian army also continued its advances in other key provinces across Syria.

Aleppo

The Syrian troops freed Khafseh town after heavy clashes with the ISIL terrorists and inflicting heavy tolls on them.

Also, a military source said that the army first retook control of the Western and Northern villages near the town, including Kharbat al-Shabab, Ma'aradha al-Kabirah and Dakhira towns, and then heavily pounded the ISIL positions inside al-Khafseh with missiles and artillery fire.

According to the source, street clashes with the terrorists started after the army's missile and artillery attacks.

He added that the remaining ISIL members fled towards Maskanah region and the adjacent areas from the South after the army won back control of the town.

Meanwhile, the army troops continued its operations from the Eastern side of al-Khafseh town as well as Qabab al-Saqir and Ain al-Shater towns and regained full control of Sukhni, Arouda al-Kabir and Khafseh al-Saqir towns.

A field source said that the army reached Lake Assad, and adding terrorists were besieged by the Syrian soldiers from the Northern, Western and Eastern sides of the first station of the water treatment and pumping facilities.

Meantime, the army forces were preparing to purge the terrorists of the two towns of Rasm al-Harmal al-Kabir and Rasm al-Harmal al-Saqir in the Northern parts of the water station.

In the meantime, the army forces seized back control of tens of villages during their operations in Eastern Aleppo, reaching areas very close to a key water pumping facility in the region.

The Syrian soldiers regained control of Khafiya al-Hamar, al-Raihaniyah, Harna Shahab, Ma'arba, Qabab al-Kabir, Qabab al-Saqir, Um Rosoum, al-Kabariya, Rasm al-Bakher, Tabarah, Bolwah, al-Aziziyah, al-Kaban and Sheikh Abyadh towns and arrived in areas controlled by the Kurdish forces fighting the ISIL under the command of the Manbij Military Council.

The army soldiers continued to advance in the Southern parts of al-Khafseh water facilities in Northeastern Aleppo and retook control of Habouba al-Saqira and Habouba al-Kabira after clashes with the ISIL terrorists.

Meantime, the Syrian government troops won back control of Rasm Harmal al-Saqir, Rasm Harmal al-Kabir and Rasm al-Aboud towns after capturing the al-Babiri water pumping station.

The army had deployed around Lake Assad after cleansing three more towns of militants.

The army troops continued its attacks on ISIL's positions from the Eastern side of al-Khafseh town as well as Qabab al-Saqir and Ain al-Shater towns and regained full control of Sukhni, Arouda al-Kabir and Khafseh al-Saqir towns.

Also, a military source said that the Syrian army units liberated 32km of lands stretching from their positions in the Eastern parts of Kuweires military airport to the Euphrates river to reach the key water pumping facility.

Reports said also on Wednesday that the army seized back over 1,000 square kilometers of the lands from the ISIL in Eastern Aleppo over the past 55 days.

The Syrian government troops won back over 155 villages and towns covering an area of 1,030 square kilometers in Eastern Aleppo since the beginning of its military operations on January 13 and inched closer to Aleppo's water resources, FNA dispatches said.

The Syrian army says it would advance towards al-Jarah airport after liberating the Aleppo water pumping facilities.

The government troops were also trying to take back the city of Deir Hafer, ISIL's second important bastion in Aleppo.

Elsewhere in the province, the predominately Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) warded off a joint offensive of the Turkish soldiers and Ankara-backed militants of the Euphrates Shield Operation in the surrounding areas of the town of Manbij in Northeastern Syria, killing at least 16 pro-Turkey militants.

The SDF engaged in fierce clashes with the Turkish army men and militants of the Euphrates Shield Operation near Buqaz village Northeast of Aleppo and repelled their attack, killing 16 militants of the Euphrates Shield Operation and wounding several more.

Meanwhile, several military vehicles of the Euphrates Shield Operation forces sustained major damage and one armored vehicles of the Turkish army was destroyed in exchange of fire.

The Turkish-led forces were trying to penetrate into Buqaz village, but they were pushed back after sustaining heavy losses.

Dara'a

The Syrian government troops precisely hit positions of al-Nusra Front (recently renamed to Fatah al-Sham Front) in Dara'a al-Balad and took control of al-Kurk, al-Abasiyeh and the Northwestern part of Balal Habashi mosque in Dara'a, killing and injuring a number of terrorists and destroying their military equipment, hardware and ammunition.

The Syrian government troops also won back several housing complexes in Dara'a al-Balad.

The government troops also engaged in heavy clashes with a terrorist group that had attacked regions Northwest of Balal Habashi grand mosque in Dara'a al-Balad and defeated them.

Meantime, the Syrian army units also launched heavy attacks on the gathering centers of the movements of the al-Nusra Front in Tal Matouq Saqir, surroundings of al-Masri square, South of al-Yarmouk school, Northeast of the post building and East of Azra in Dara'a, killing a number of terrorists and destroying their military positions and weapons.

Hama

The Syrian army cut off the terrorist group's supply lines between al-Salamiyah in Hama and the newly-liberated ancient city of Palmyra in Homs.

"During their military operations in Aqayrabat and its surrounding regions in the North, the Syrian army troops cut off the ISIL's supply lines between Eastern countryside of Salamiyah and Northwestern of Palmyra," military sources in Hama province said.

The Syrian army troops also targeted the ISIL's military positions and bases in Al-Barquotiyeh village (in the Eastern countryside of Salamiyah in Hama province), killing several terrorists and destroying their military equipment.

In Northern Hama, the Russian and Syrian fighter jets also hit hard the gathering centers and movements of al-Nusra Front which resulted in the death and injury of tens of terrorists.

Deir Ezzur

The Syrian army forces, supported by the air force, continued operations to break the ISIL siege on Deir Ezzur airbase, and inflicted heavy loss and damage on the terrorists by targeting their centers and moves.

The Syrian army units and fighter jets launched massive strikes against ISIL's positions and bases in al-Thardah region, Hill 17, Talat al-Sanouf and al-Maqaber region near Deir Ezzur and smashed a number of their machinegun-equipped military vehicles.

The attacks left tens of ISIL members dead and wounded, battlefield reports said on Wednesday.

Meantime, the Syrian fighter jets pounded the terrorists' positions in al-Arafi, al-Arazi, al-Hamidiyeh and the power department near al-Ta'min brigade, killing and wounding several ISIL members.

Damascus

The Syrian army seized control of several farms located between Barzeh and al-Qaboun towns and destroyed over 80 percent of al-Nusra Front's military grid and troops as they tightened their grip over al-Qaboun region East of Damascus province.

"The Syrian army destroyed 80 percent of al-Nusra Front's military bases inside al-Qaboun region in their missile and aerial attacks," a military source said, noting that tens of al-Nusra Front terrorists were killed or wounded in the army offensives.

Meantime, local sources said that the residents of Barzeh region staged a protest rally against the terrorists and raised the Syrian national flags to show support for the government, urging the terrorists to immediately leave their region.

Homs

The Syrian army troops imposed control over Mohammad Ahmad farms near Palmyra's silos after seizing al-Ameriyeh mountains and started purging terrorists from the region.

"The Syrian army is now only 4.5 kilometers away from Palmyra silos from the direction of al-Ameriyeh mountains in the West," a military source said, adding that "the Syrian army troops have recaptured all the regions lost to the ISIL in the last two months once the silos are taken back from the terrorists,".

The source noted that the Syrian army was 19 kilometers away from the Arak oil region and 55 kilometers from al-Sukhnah oil region.

In the meantime, the Syrian army units engaged in fierce clashes with the ISIL terrorists in areas surrounding Palmyra and won control of al-Ameriyeh mountains to the East of the airport and the nearby hilltops in the Eastern parts of Homs province.

The Syrian army troops also continued their advances to the East of Palmyra and took control of silos in an area 10 kilometers to the ancient city.

Also, the army's missile and artillery units also targeted and pounded the ISIL's military positions in al-Baredeh, Katibeh Mahjoureh and the Eastern countryside of the two cities of al-Quaryatayn and Palmyra, killing and injuring several ISIL terrorists as well as destroying their military equipment.

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