Syria in Last 24 Hours:

Army Inflicts Heavy Losses on Terrorists in Aleppo Province

Rasa - The Syrian army hit hard the terrorists' military positions and hardware in the Northern and Western parts of Aleppo province.

News ID: 429184

Date: 24 April 2017 - 23:28

RNA - The terrorists sustained heavy losses in the Syrian army's attacks in Aleppo province. The Syrian army also continued its advances in other key provinces across Syria.

Aleppo

The Syrian Army troops engaged in heavy clashes with terrorist groups in Northern and Western Aleppo, while the army's artillery and missile units inflicted major losses on the militants in the same regions.

The army clashed with terrorists in the regions of Showeihaneh and al-Tamoureh in the Northern countryside of Aleppo and in the Western direction of Jam'iyat al-Zahra district, killing a number of terrorists.

In the meantime, the artillery and missile units shelled terrorists' gathering centers in Showeihaneh and al-Tamoureh and in the Western direction of Jam'iyat al-Zahra.

Also, the Syrian forces exchanged fire with terrorist groups in the Northern direction of al-Rashedeen neighborhood in Aleppo's outskirts.

Local sources reported that the Russian fighter jets carried out a number of combat sorties over terrorist-held regions in the villages and towns of al-Artab, Orum al-Kobra, Hayyan, Anadan, al-Mansoureh, Ein Jareh, Kafr Naha, Tal al-Karameh, Khan al-Assal, Qabtan, Regiment 46 base, Hour and Dael in the Northern and Western countryside of Aleppo city, killing a number of terrorists.

They added that the artillery and missile units opened heavy fire on terrorists' strongholds in Qabtan al-Jabal settlement in Western Aleppo, killing or wounding several terrorists, while other units of the army engaged in heavy fighting with terrorists in Ma'arat al-Artiq settlement in the Western countryside of Aleppo.

Websites affiliated to the terrorist groups disclosed earlier today that Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at (the Levant Liberation Board) has dispatched a large number of US-made anti-tank TOW missiles to assist their comrades to slow down the devastating advances of the Syrian Army troops in Western Aleppo.

The websites revealed that the terrorist groups are getting ready to confront the army soldiers and their allied forces, adding that Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at has sent a large number of US-made TOW missiles to the battlefields in Western Aleppo to help their comrades to resist against the army attacks.

Reports said that terrorist groups used TOW missiles against the army in Eastern Aleppo in 2016, but the low quantity of the missiles was the reason behind the militants' defeats.

Based on the reports, terrorist groups have once again received a large number of TOW missiles via their Saudi and Turkish backers and are receiving Washington's assistance to use them in the battles in Western Aleppo.

Damascus

The Syrian Army troops continued to hit the positions of Al-Nusra Front (also known as Fatah al-Sham Front or the Levant Liberation Board) in al-Qaboun district, capturing one of the main strongholds of the terrorists in Eastern Ghouta.

The army units engaged in fierce clashes with Al-Nusra in al-Qaboun district and pushed the terrorists back from al-Hafez strategic street.

A large number of Al-Nusra fighters were killed and the remaining pockets of them fled towards other militant-held areas behind al-Hafez street.

A field source said that al-Hafez street was one of the main strongholds of Al-Nusra in the region, adding that after the capture of the key street, the terrorists' positions in Western Harasta region and in Tishrin district have been falling to the army soldiers one after another.

Also, the army soldiers engaged in heavy fighting with Jeish al-Islam on Saturday and managed to enter the settlement of Hawsh al-Salehiyeh.

In the meantime, the army's artillery and missile units pounded terrorists' positions and tunnels in the gardens near the towns of Douma and Harasta.

Also, one of the command posts and several positions of Al-Nusra in al-Qaboun district in Northeastern Damascus were targeted by the artillery and missile units.

Raqqa

Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) establish control of all strategic highways leading to ISIL's de facto capital of Raqqa.

"We have cut all the strategic ways of supplying ISIL. We have cut the connection with Iraq, freeing the way to Deir Ezzur and have gained control over the Eastern part of the province of Raqqa. With the attack on the city of Tabqa, all the supply routes have been finally cut, we also established control of the roads of Raqqa-Tabqa and Raqqa-Damascus," Kurdish news agency Firat quoted SDF spokeswoman Cihan Şêx Ehmed as saying.

She added that the SDF continue their offensive in the North of Raqqa province.

"Now the ISIL cannot replenish its forces and ammunition. They are besieged in Raqqa from four sides," she stressed.

According to SDF data, ISIL militants are retreating to the city of Raqqa and are preparing to conduct battles in the city. The Kurdish-led forces, in turn, continue to attack the city.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces launched the Operation Euphrates Rage to retake Raqqa from the ISIL in November 2016.

Idlib

The Russian fighter jets targeted a main Al-Nusra Front base near a town in Southern Idlib, while military sources say the army plans to expand control to Khan Sheikhoun to allow Russian inspectors to visit the site of the recent chemical attack.

The warplanes carried out two air-to-surface missile attacks on a garrison of Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at (the Levant Liberation Board) West of the town of Khan Sheikhoun a few minutes after the terrorists approached the base, destroying the center and killing or wounding most of the militants in there.

The Al-Nusra militants form a main part of Tahrir al-Sham.

In the meantime, informed sources reported that the Syrian Army plans to continue the march in Northern Hama up to the towns of Morek in Hama and Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib to provide a chance for the Russian forces to inspect the site of the chemical incident in Khan Sheikhoun.

The sources further added that current battle will not end in Khan Sheikhoun, and will rather expand then to other towns and villages.

Lattakia

The Syrian Army's artillery and missile units opened heavy fire at the movements and positions of Al-Nusra Front in Northern Lattakia, killing a number of terrorists and destroying their equipment in large scale.

The artillery and missile units shelled Al-Nusra's concentration centers and movements in areas near the small town of Kabani, al-Daqleh mount peak and the villages of Faleh, al-Yamziyeh, al-Hamboushiyeh and al-Tafahiyeh, killing most of the members of a group of terrorists and wounding several more.

Three machinegun-equipped positions and six machinegun-equipped vehicles were destroyed in the army attack.

Hama

The Syrian Army troops continued their offensives on terrorists' defense lines in Northern Hama on Sunday and managed to capture more villages and hills, inflicting major losses on the militants.

The army soldiers continued clashes with terrorists and drove them out of the village of Zalin, Batish and Zour Abu Zeid and Naseriyeh hill.

A military source in the province said that hundreds of terrorist have been killed and hundreds more have been wounded in the attack.

The source added that 38 vehicles, three munitions depots, three tanks and a bomb-laden vehicle of the terrorists were destroyed in the attack, adding that the army men also seized seven mortar launchers, two machinegun-equipped vehicles and a large volume of ammunition.

Relevant reports said earlier on Sunday that the army soldiers engaged in fierce clashes with Al-Nusra n several regions in Northern Hama and managed to retake control of Tal (Hill) al-Oqab, al-Salman checkpost and its surrounding farms and Syriatel checkpost.

A military source reported that the army has reached the gates of the village of Albboyzeh after its recent advances against the terrorists in Northern Hama.

More reports said that the army shelled heavily Al-Nusra's position to pave the ground for a final attack on the town of Halfaya that is the largest base of the terrorists.

In the meantime, Ahrar al-Sham confirmed that one of the terrorist group's commanders, nom de guerre Shahoud Abu Ali, was killed in Taybat al-Imam.

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