Syria in Past 24 Hours:

Terrorists Recruiting Forces in Afrin with Turkey's Backup

Rasa - Faylaq al-Rahman terrorist group is recruiting forces in Afrin as reports revealed Turkey's attempts to transfer security control of the region to the militants who have left the Eastern Ghouta of Damascus.

News ID: 437745

Date: 17 May 2018 - 22:50

RNA - Faylaq al-Rahman terrorist group is recruiting forces in Afrin as reports revealed Turkey's attempts to transfer security control of the region to the militants who have left the Eastern Ghouta of Damascus.

Aleppo

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Wednesday that Faylaq al-Rahman terrorists who had left Eastern Ghouta after an agreement with the Syrian army are now recruiting militants and accupying Brigade 135 bases in Shera region in Northeastern Afrin which was earlier under the control of Kurds with Turkey's support.

Meantime, informed sources said that Faylaq al-Rahman, commanded by Abdolnasser Shamir, is recruiting and training the members, who were earlier stationed in Eastern Ghouta, in Afrin.

Faylaq al-Rahman pays a monthly 200-dollar salary to anyone who joins the terrorist group.

Earlier, sources had revealed that security control of Afrin is due to be transferred to Faylaq al-Rahman after a series of meetings between the Turkish officials and commanders of the terrorist group.

Also in the past 24 hours, two Ankara-backed militant groups engaged in fierce clashes in Afrin region over distribution of assets they looted form local civilians' houses and shops.

Ahrar al-Sham and al-Shamiyeh Front, both backed up by the Turkish army, exchanged heavy fire in Afrin over the distribution of the assets they had stolen from locals' houses.

The infighting left a number of casualties on both warring sides.

In the meantime, the Kurdish-language Hawar news reported that Ahrar al-Sham terrorists stormed the village of Karzileh in Shirawa region and captured almost 200 young and middle-aged men and kept them in the village's school.

Also on Wednesday, the Kurdish militants intensified forced recruitment in different areas of the town of Manbij in Northeastern Aleppo.

Tens of young men in Manbij were arrested by the US-backed Kurdish militias under a forced recruitment plan.

In the meantime, a large number of young men in the village of Bir Khalou in Manbij region and several more at al-Saad and al-Jisr checkpoints were arrested by the Kurdish militias.

No source has thus far reported the exact number of the young men arrested in Manbij.

The Kurdish militias' move have sparked sharp tensions between the gunmen and civilians.

Homs

The Syrian Army troops deployed in two more regions in Northern Homs and a region in Southern Hama after the last group of terrorists and their family members left the regions on Wednesday.

The last group of terrorists and their family members whose total number stood at 3,950 left Northern Homs and Southern Hama for Northern Syria via Dar al-Kabireh region.

The army further imposed control over the towns of al-Rastan and Talbiseh in Northern Homs and the village of Hirbnafsa in Southern Hama.

The army's engineering units started to defuse bombs and landmine planted by the terrorists in the newly-freed regions.

The army men also discovered a tunnel at the entrance of Hirbnafsa with three kilometers length.

Also in the past 24 hours, Manhal Solouh, a notorious commander of the Free Syrian Army (FSA), and his gunmen laid down arms in Northern Homs, and demanded to join the government troops in the fight again their earlier comrade militants.

Manhal Solouh, the chief commander of Liwa al-Tohid that is one of the most important FSA-affiliated terrorist groups in Northern Homs, laid down arms and applied for government amnesty along with tens of his fighters.

Solouh and his fighters then asked to join the Syrian Army troops to fight the terrorist groups.

The Syrian pro-government forces will soon spread control over the entire lands in Northern Homs and Southern Hama after expulsion of terrorists from tens of villages, towns, settlements and regions in Central Syria.

Damascus

The Syrian Army troops continued to advance in Hajar al-Aswad region in the Southern part of Damascus province on Wednesday to prevail over the last positions of ISIL terrorists in region.

The army men engaged in fierce clashes with ISIL Northwest of Hajar al-Aswad, taking control of several points in the region.

Also, other units of the army pushed terrorists back from several points on the 30th Street.

In the meantime, the army's artillery and missile units and aircraft pounded repeatedly terrorists' positions in Hajar al-Aswad and Yarmouk Camp.

Local sources, meanwhile, reported that the ISIL is showing tough resistance against the army men North of Hajar al-Aswad, slowing down the army's advances in the region.

The sources added that most of the terrorists have hidden in hideouts and tunnels in Hajar al-Aswad to conduct surprise attacks later.

Also in the past 24 hours, the Syrian Army troops continued to storm ISIL's strongholds in the Southern part of Damascus province and freed over ninety percent of Hajar al-Aswad region.

The army men managed to drive ISIL out of more areas North of Hajar al-Aswad.

Also, a tough battle is now underway between the ISIL and other units of the army in Yarmouk Camp flank.

In the meantime, the army's artillery and missile units and aircraft continued pounding ISIL's movements and positions in Hajar al-Aswad and Yarmouk Camp.

Also, other units of the army discovered a number of ISIL-made tunnels in Hajar al-Aswad and also they found a workshop used by the ISIL to make bombs and arms near Deir Yaseen street.

A large volume explosives and chemicals was found in the workshop.

Hasaka

The US forces conducted four more airborne operations in Southeastern Hasaka to rescue a number of entrapped ISIL terrorists on Wednesday, a move done repeatedly by the American forces to provide back up for the terrorist group in Eastern Syria.

Four American military helicopters conducted four sorties of heliborne operations in the villages of al-Qeirawan, Haresat Sinjar, al-Ta'ef and aAbu Kabra, evacuating a group of ISIL terrorists to an unknown location.

The US military forces are carrying out airborne operation in ISIL-held regions once in a while.

Hama

The Syrian Army imposed control over 200 sq/km more lands in Northern Homs and Southern Hama on Wednesday after the terrorists retreated from the region.

Hundreds of terrorists and their family members that rejected the army's peace offer left al-Houleh and Talbiseh regions in Northern Homs for Idlib on 73 buses.

The army further took full control over 15 towns and villages in Northern and Northeatern Homs and 10 regions in Southern Hama and West of the town of al-Salamiyah.

Field sources said that the army has thus far been capable of enforcing control over 230 sq/km in Homs and Hama province after the withdrawal of the terrorists from the region.

Dara'a

The Syrian Army gave a 48-hour ultimatum to the terrorist groups in Dara'a province to lay down their arms and surrender to the government forces as the armed forces are preparing for an imminent operation in region.

The army's military helicopters dropped thousands of leaflets in terrorist-held regions in the towns of Da'el, Mazirib and Tafas in Dara'a province, calling on the terrorists to lay down arms and surrender to the army units.

In the meantime, the Arabic-language al-Watan daily reported that the army gave a two-day long ultimatum to the terrorists in the town of Mahaja in Southern Dara'a to declare their final decision about reconciliation talks with the army.

The Free Syrian Army terrorists had previously rejected the army's peace offer in the region.

Idlib

The Turkish Army dispatched a new convoy of forces and military equipment to Western Idlib on Wednesday to reinvigorate its occupying forces in the war-hit country.

According to Fars News Agancy, the army forwarded a long military convoy to Jabal Ashtabraq region near the town of Jisr al-Shughour in Western Idlib via Kafr Luseen border-crossing.

The new Turkish convoy included several trucks and armored and personnel carrying vehicles and a number of fresh soldiers.

Militant-affiliated sources reported that the army is planning to set up a new truce monitoring point in the region.

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