Syria in Past 24 Hours:

Damascus Sends More Forces, Military Equipment to Afrin

Rasa - The Syrian army dispatched a large number of forces and military equipment to Afrin region as the Turkish army and its allied militants intensified attacks against the Kurdish militias South of the town.

News ID: 436950

Date: 22 March 2018 - 21:04

RNA - The Syrian army dispatched a large number of forces and military equipment to Afrin region as the Turkish army and its allied militants intensified attacks against the Kurdish militias South of the town.

Aleppo

Field sources reported on Wednesday that the Turkish army and its affiliated militants have opened a new operational front against the Kurdish militias South of the town of Afrin on Tuesday.

The Ankara-backed militants gained control of the strategic mountain of al-Ahlam and the villages of Basouteh, Ein Dareh, Karzihleh and Qazi Rihleh in clashes with the Kurdish forces in Southern Afrin.

Meantime, field sources reported that the Syrian army has sent tens of its forces and military equipment to the villages of Nobl and al-Zahra near Tal Rafa'at in South of Afrin.

Damascus

The Syrian army continued military operations South of Eastern Ghouta of Damascus to isolate the terrorists' remaining bases, advancing in several fronts.

The army forces continued clashes with the terrorists in Wadi Ein Tarma on Wednesday, reaching Ja'me al-Wadi mosque after advancing in the region.

The Syrian army units also advanced in the Southern section of the town of of Ein Tarma, and imposed control over several buildings.

A field source said the Syrian army has made remarkable advances in three fronts in its operations from Wadi Ein Tarma and the two towns of Ein Tarma and Hazeh.

The source reminded the importance of Wadi Ein Tarma as a region near Damascus, and said the terrorists launched missile strikes from the region on civilian-populated areas in Jermana almost on a daily basis.

Also in the past 24 hours, dozens of terrorists surrendered to the Syrian army in Harasta in Eastern Ghouta of Damascus as militants are preparing to leave the region towards Idlib.

Field sources reported on Wednesday that 20 terrorists, including two snipers stationed in Harasta in Eastern Ghouta, which has fully been surrounded by the Syrian army forces, have surrendered themselves.

They also added that the terrorists who are preparing to leave Harasta for Idlib have set fire on their bases.

Sources had said on Tuesday that the terrorists stationed in Harasta in Eastern Ghouta will leave the region to Idlib as militants are making their last attempts to break the army's siege.

Also on Wednesday, the Syrian army sent a large number of forces and military equipment to Southern Damascus after intensified clashes with the ISIL terrorist group.

Field sources reported on Wednesday that the Syrian army has dispatched tens of reinforcements, several vehicles and military equipment to Southern Damascus.

They referred to the ISIL's recent offensive against al-Qadam district- which has recently been evacuated from terrorists, and said that the militants have infiltrated into a number of buildings in the Eastern part of the neighborhood.

The sources also pointed to the heightened clashes between the Syrian army and terrorists in the region, stressing the possibility for the army units to start cleansing of ISIL militants in Southern Damascus after the end of military operations in Eastern Ghouta.

The ISIL has occupied a vast area of Yarmouk camp in Southern Damascus in addition to the town of Hajar al-Aswad.

Also in the past 24 hours, the Syrian army soldiers killed tens of Jeish al-Islam terrorists after militants' heavy attack on their positions in Eastern Ghouta of Damascus.

Field sources reported on Wednesday that the Syrian army forces, supported by fighter jets, repelled an major offensive of Jeish al-Islam terrorist group on their positions in the town of Misraba in Eastern Ghouta of Damascus.

They noted that the Syrian fighter jets also targeted and destroyed several vehicles of the terrorists in regions near the town of Douma and near al-Shifouniyeh region, stressing that during the clashes tens of Jeish al-Islam terrorists were killed.

Meantime, other Syrian army units also repulsed the al-Nusra Front (Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at or the Levant Liberation Board) terrorists' suicide attacks, and killed a suicide bomber in Hazeh farms West of Hamouriyeh region.

Also on Wednesday, the Syrian army freed 25 families trapped in militant-held areas after advancing in the last remaining terrorist bastions in Eastern Ghouta.

The army soldiers continued military operations against the terrorists in Wadi Ein Tarma South of Eastern Ghouta, and captured vast areas.

Field sources said the terrorists in Ein Tarma have dug three ditches full of water and built trenches around them to stop the Syrian army's military vehicles and tanks, "and this has decreased the Syrian army soldiers' advance in the region although the measure has failed to stop the march by government troops.

They added that the army units advanced in areas near the town of Ein Tarma and are just 500 meters away from the town and from their comrades deployed in Wadi Ein Tarma farms.

Meantime, the army soldiers freed 25 Syrian families who had been taken hostage by the terrorists during the operations in Ein Tarma farms, and established security in the region.

Hasaka

The Turkish army engaged in clashes with Kurdish forces in Hasaka despite the international warnings about the bad humanitarian conditions in the town of Afrin.

Local sources in the town of Ra'as al-Ain in Northeastern Hasaka reported on Wednesday that the Turkish army's artillery units have targeted the Kurdish forces' watchtowers and checkpoints around the town at the Syrian-Turkish borders.

They added that the Turkish army has launched artillery attacks on Kurdish positions in the villages of Tal Halaf, Kashtou, Tal Arqam and Alouk, saying that after the offensive, the Kurdish forces withdrew towards their positions inside Ra'as al-Ain.

Following the attacks, 2 Kurdish forces were killed and a number of others were wounded.

Meantime, sources reported that the Turkish army has targeted Alouk hydro power plant in Ra'as al-Ain, which disconnected the power grid flow and water in Hasaka.

The Turkish army has intensified its attacks in Northern Syria amid the international warnings about the dire humanitarian conditions in Afrin after Ankara's military assault against the region.

Deir Ezzur

The ISIL is reportedly readying to strike back at the Syrian army in Eastern Deir Ezzur after the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) declared an end to offensives on the terrorist group and as the American military is widening build-up in the region.

The Arabic-language al-Akhbar newspaper reported on Wednesday that the ISIL is using the de-escalation zones created by the US-led coalition with full protection from Syrian and Russian attacks to reorganize to launch fresh attacks on the Syrian army on the Western banks of the Euphrates river in a bid to return to its former bases in Bu al-Kamal and al-Mayadeen.

The Lebanese paper added that the US-Kurdish halt in operations against the ISIL has already led to ISIL's reinforcement in Eastern Deir Ezzur near the borders with Iraq, noting that the US had practically stopped its operations in the region ever since it occupied oil and gas fields on Eastern Euphrates but it made official declaration about the halt on during the recent events in Afrin.

Meantime, the ISIL has discharged most of its Syrian and Iraqi military commanders and replaced them with foreigners who enjoy the most influence on the locals that have surrendered themselves to the American forces.

The Kurds had also earlier announced that they would halt military operations against the ISIL on Eastern Euphrates to send more forces to Afrin to defend the town against the Turkish army and the Ankara-backed militants.

Homs

The Syrian air and ground forces fiercely pounded ISIL's positions and moves in Eastern Homs.

According to Fars News Agancy, the Syrian army's ground forces engaged in clashes with the ISIL terrorists in Eastern Homs near the borders with Deir Ezzur province, killing a number of militants.

Also, the Syrian army units launched missile and artillery attacks against a group of ISIL terrorists who were moving from al-Tanf to the West, inflicting losses on them.

The Syrian air force also pounded ISIL's scattered positions in al-Mo'eizileh region and T2 station in Eastern Badiyeh (desert) in Homs and Southeast of the town of al-Quaryatayn, destroying a number of their positions and killing several terrorists.

Meantime, field sources said that during the operations tens of terrorists were killed and their military equipment were destroyed.

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