Syria in Last 24 Hours:

Army Captures Key Military Airport in Southeastern Idlib

Rasa - The Syrian Army troops continued their advances towards Abu al-Dhohour airbase in all fronts and managed to seize the strategic military airport in Southeastern Idlib.

News ID: 435912

Date: 21 January 2018 - 23:07

RNA - The army sources confirmed that army troops drove the terrorists back from the key Abu al-Dhohour airbase after over two years of occupation.

Meantime, the Syrian army and popular forces continued their military advances in other parts of Syria, including Aleppo, over past 24 hours.

Idlib

The Syrian Army troops continued their advances towards Abu al-Dhohour airbase in all fronts and captured the strategic military airport in Southeastern Idlib on Saturday afternoon to score a major victory in the war on Al-Nusra terrorists.

The army men drove the Al-Nusra Front (Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at or the Levant Liberation Board) back from the key Abu al-Dhohour airbase after over two years of occupation, army sources confirmed.

The sources added that the army men are fortifying their positions at the airbase.

The Al-Nusra has suffered a heavy death toll in the clashes, the sources said, adding that the army has forwarded more troops and equipment to the military airport and its engineering units have started defusing bombs and landmines planted by the terrorists in the newly-captured military airport.

The Syrian Air Force is still conducting massive bombing raids on the terrorists in the Northern and Southwestern directions of the airbase.

In the meantime, other units of the army are advancing towards the villages near the airbase to reinvigorate security to the airport.

Field sources reported earlier on Saturday that the army troops are advancing towards Abu al-Dhohour Airbase from East and South-East after other units of the army entered the military airport from the Southern direction.

The army soldiers deployed in the Eastern direction of Abu al-Dhohour airbase stormed the positions of Al-Nusra Front and captured the villages of al-Ja'akiyeh, Hamidiyeh Shaddad and al-Hamidiyeh.

Also, the army units operating in the Western direction of the airbase managed to beat back terrorists from the village of Tal Salmu Shamali.

Aleppo

The Syrian Army troops managed to push the terrorists back from their last strongholds in Southern Aleppo, inching closer to lay siege on them in a region among Aleppo, Hama and Idlib.

The army men captured the village of Um Tineh North of the village of Qaytal following heavy clashes with terrorists in Southern Aleppo.

Field sources say the army has the upper-hand to impose the siege on the last strongholds of the terrorists in a large region among the provinces of Aleppo, Idlib and Hama, adding that the army men deployed in Um Tineh are 2 km away from the village of Um al-Joureh in Southeastern Idlib.

Meantime, an Arab media outlet confirmed on Saturday that the Russian Forces have not withdrawn from their positions in the town of Afrin in Northern Aleppo.

The Arab media outlet also denied reports on the Turkish Army attacks on Kurdish fighters' positions in the town.

Local sources in Northern Aleppo reported that the Turkish forces crossed the border into Syria and launched their operation in Afrin, adding that the Turkish artillery and missile units pounded Afrin heavily.

The sources further claimed that the Russian forces are retreating rapidly from their positions in Northern Syria.

However, the Arabic-language al-Mayadeen quoted a well-informed security source as reporting that the Russian forces have set up more security checkpoints in Tal (hill) Ajar East of Afrin.

Also, the Arabic-language Elam al-Harbi quoted a source as saying that the attacks on Afrin were launched by the militant groups affiliated to Ankara-backed Euphrates Shield, denying reports on the Turkish Army's direct operation in the region.

Elam al-Harbi further said that reports on the Russian monitoring forces' withdrawal from Afrin's outskirts are sheer lies, adding that they have only relocated their positions.

In the meantime, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov rejected reports on the withdrawal of the Russian forces from Afrin, adding, "We are to set up de-escalation zone in Idlib."

Turkey has been mobilizing its forces and tanks to the North and West of Afrin that is controlled by the Kurdish-led People's Protection Units (YPG) which Ankara considers to be a terrorist organization as well as being a branch of the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

Ankara has no option but to carry out a military operation in the Syrian enclave of Afrin, Turkey’s Defense Minister Nurettin Canikli said, adding that the operation has ‘de facto started’ with cross-border shelling.

The Damascus government made clear to Ankara that it considers Turkey’s military presence on its territory as a violation of its sovereignty, and warned that it will shoot down Turkish bombers in Syrian airspace.

The statement was made after Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Ankara would intervene in Syria's Afrin and Manbij, citing the threat posed by the Kurdish militants to the integrity of the Syrian border. He has also outlined the country's position towards Syrian government forces in Idlib, adding that their advance should be stopped.

It also came as Ankara announced that Turkey is ready “at any moment” to start an operation in a besieged border area of Syria.

“The Turkish Armed Forces will resolve the Afrin and Manbij issue as soon as possible. Our preparations are finalized, an operation may start at any moment,” Tukey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told an opening ceremony in the capital, Ankara on Monday.

Washington also continues providing Kurdish fighters with more military hardware in Syria despite US President Donald Trump's promise to his Turkish counterpart to halt arms shipment to the Kurdish fighters.

Ankara said late November 2017 that Trump told Erdogan that he had issued instructions that weapons should not be provided to Kurdish fighters in Syria.

Dara'a

Over 20 detainees escaped from terrorists' incarceration in the Southern Dara'a province after tensions and differences escalated among rival militant groups in the region, local sources reported on Saturday.

The sources said that 21 detainees escaped from Dar al-Adl prison run by terrorist groups in Qaraz region in Dara'a province.

The sources said that prison breaks have occurred several times in Dara'a in recent weeks.

Head of Dar al-Adl prison Sheikh Esmat al-Abasi said that the detainees managed to escape the prison due to the lack of the financial commitment of the terrorists groups that have set up the prison, adding that prison guards have left after they received no payment.

Meantime, the same sources said that Sheikh Osama al-Yatim, the former Head of the prison, together with three of his aides were assassinated by other terrorist groups.

Field sources confirmed earlier that one of the notorious commanders of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) was killed after a bomb planted in his vehicle went off in Dara'a province.

The sources said that Commander of FSA Artillery Regiment in Dara'a province Emad al-Sharif was killed in a booby-trapped explosion in Dara'a al-Balad district in the Southern part of Dara'a city.

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