Syrian Army Preparing to Capture Last Terrorist Stronghold in Dara'a

Rasa - The Syrian army forces managed to take control of another key region in Northern Dara'a on Wednesday, advancing towards the last and the most important terrorist stronghold in the region.

News ID: 438729

Date: 20 July 2018 - 21:36

RNA - The Syrian army forces managed to take control of another key region in Northern Dara'a on Wednesday, advancing towards the last and the most important terrorist stronghold in the region.

Dara'a

The army units, covered by artillery and missile fire, engaged in fierce clashes with terrorists in the village of al-Aliyeh West of the town of al-Jasem in Northwestern Dara'a and captured the region.

In the meantime, other missile and artillery units opened heavy fire at terrorists' positions and movements in the town of Nawa and Tal al-Jabiyeh in Western Dara'a, inflicting major losses on the militants.

Meanwhile, other army soldiers stormed terrorists near the town of Nawa and killed a large number of militants.

The army is now preparing to drive terrorists out of their last and most important stronghold, Nawa, after imposing control over a large part of the Death Triangle ( vast region between Southwestern Damascus, Northwestern Dara'a and Northern Quneitra).

Also on Wednesday, two key field commanders of the Free Syrian Army were killed in clashes with the Damascus troops in the Southern province of Dara'a.

Commander of the FSA-affiliated Abu al-Zein Division Qassem Mohammad Zeid Sharaf nom de guerre Abu al-Zein was killed in an attack by the Syrian government troops in the town of Nawa in Western Dara'a.

In the meantime, a field commander of the FSA-affiliated Ahrar al-Nawa was also killed in a bomb blast near the town of Nawa.

In the meantime, the army's artillery and missile units shelled heavily terrorists' strongholds and movements in the town of Nawa, al-Jabiyeh region and Tal al-Jabiyeh in Western Dara'a.

Also, other artillery and missile units and the country's Air Force pounded ISIL's positions in the town of Tasil and Tal Ashrah in Hawz al-Yarmouk.

Aleppo

The so-called Free Syrian Army (FSA) terrorists abducted and tortured to death a young Syrian Kurdish man in Afrin region of Aleppo province.

The Kurdish-language Rudaw news channel reported on Tuesday that Abdolrahman Mohammad Tobal, one of the residents of Jandaris in Afrin region, has been kidnapped by the FSA terrorists and severely tortured.

It quoted sources inside the town of Afrin as saying that Tobal has been hospitalized and the terrorists prevent visit by his family members and do not allow any word out about his health conditions.

Also in the past 24 hours, tribal elites in Northern Syria started practical measures to hand over Manbij region to the Syrian Army as the US and Turkish military forces increased their meddling in the region.

The Arabic-language al-Ahad news website reported that elites from different tribes in Manbij city are trying hard to persuade the Damascus government to enter Manbij.

It further said that Manbij civilians, meantime, are enraged by the occupiers' brutalities and presence in their region.

Also on Wednesday, Kurdish sources disclosed that Turkey and Russia agreed on handing over control of Afrin region in Northwestern Aleppo to the Damascus government.

Al-Ahad news website quoted well-informed Kurdish sources as disclosing that negotiations over the fate of the Kurdish-held region in Northwestern Syria are underway between the Turkish, American and Russian delegations.

Al-Ahad further said that Afrin region will go again under the Damascus government's reign under an agreement between Russia and Turkey.

It went on to say that the Turkish army is to set up several monitoring checkpoints in Syria 15 km away from the Syria-Turkey borderline, adding that the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces will also leave the Eastern bank of the Euphrates River to be replaced by government troops.

The news website further said that the Syrian government flags will be hoisted in regions on the Eastern bank of the Euphrates River and the local administration will come in charge again.

Raqqa

A sum of 1,236 bodies of the victims killed by US-led coalition air raids and Washington-backed militias have been discovered from mass graves in Raqqa city in Northeastern Syria, a media outlet reported on Wednesday.

The Arabic-language al-Watan news website reported that a sum of 1,236 bodies of civilians that have been killed in the US air raids and in attacks by Washington-backed militias have been unearthed from mass graves in Panorama, al-Rashid Sports Stadium and the Zoo in Raqqa city.

It further said that unearthing of bodies is still underway in the Zoo and Panorama, adding that most of the bodies discovered so far have been killed in the US air raids and attacks by the Syrian Democratic Forces.

Well-informed sources in Raqqa were quoted by the Arabic-language al-Manar news channel as saying earlier this month that a mass-grave was discovered near al-Forat sport club which contained a large number of bodies of the civilians killed in the US airstrikes when Raqqa was under ISIL control.

They added that 40 corpses have so far been taken out of the mass grave, saying that over 300 civilians have been buried in the grave.

Also on Wednesday, the US-led coalition forwarded a military convoy from Hasaka to Raqqa as tensions rise among different Washington-backed militia groups in Northeastern Syria.

The US sent a convoy, comprising several heavy trucks from the township of Tal Tamar in Northwestern Hasaka to Raqqa city.

In the meantime, local sources in Raqqa reported that a military vehicle of the Kurdish militia was targeted by unknown assailants that fired RPG missile at the vehicle along the road from the city to the 17th Regiment Base in Southern Raqqa, leaving three Kurds dead or wounded.

The sources further pointed to the intensified arrest operation by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the village of al-Mastour West of the town of Ein Issa in Northern Raqqa, adding that tensions between people and the SDF and also among SDF members have recently gone up in the region.

Hasaka

A prominent Syrian politician unveiled collaboration between the ISIL terrorist group and the US-backed Kurdish forces in destroying and plundering assets and properties of Assyrians in a number of villages of Hasaka province.

The Arabic-language website of Sputnik news agency quoted Head of the National Formation of Syrian Assyrians Fuad Sada as saying that the Assyrian villages in Tal Tamar region in Hasaka are still occupied by the Kurds who forced the residents of these villages to flee, surrendered the villages to the ISIL and looted the houses and churches of the region.

He added that the ISIL has freed tens of abducted Assyrians after receiving huge sums of money, noting that the freed people have revealed the betrayal done by the Kurdish militias.

According to Fars News Agancy, Sada said that the ISIL has destroyed all churches with the help of the Kurds, adding that the artefacts in the region have been smuggled to Lebanon, Northern Iraq and Syria.

He also disclosed that the ISIL has entered Tal Jazeera and Tal Shamiran after the Kurds' withdrawal and "abducted 230 civilians in front of the eyes of the Kurds", saying that the ISIL and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), backed and supervised by the US, have been displacing and killing the Assyrian citizens in Hasaka province during the war in Syria.

Sada said only a sum of 950 out of the 20,000 residents of the villages near Khabour river in Hasaka are now in the region, and asked the Kurds to withdraw from the villages, deliver their control to the Syrian government and allow the Assyrian population to run a normal life.

Deir Ezzur

The US Army dispatched a long convoy of forces and equipment to Southeastern Deir Ezzur as the US-led coalition fighter jet targeted again residential areas in the region on Wednesday.

The coalition forwarded a long column, including several military vehicles and heavy weapons and equipment to Southeastern Deir Ezzur at Syria's border with Iraq.

In the meantime, the fighter jets intensified their attacks on several regions in Southeastern Deir Ezzur, destroying infrastructures and residential areas.

The number of casualties is still unknown due to the heavy bombardment.

Early reports said all members of at least two families have been killed in the air attacks on al-Souseh.

The warplanes have been bombing villages, townships and towns in Deir Ezzur under the pretext of war on ISIL.

Idlib

Thousands of residents of the besieged towns of Fua'a and Kafraya in the Northeastern countryside of Idlib city will be evacuated after a relevant agreement was struck between the militants and the Syrian government.

The agreement was concluded two months after over 40 hostages were released in the settlement of Estabraq in Idlib, SNAN reported.

The new deal also stipulates the release of remaining hostages in Estabraq, according to the agency.

Also in the past 24 hours, a number of terrorists of Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at (the Levant Liberation Board or the Al-Nusra Front) were killed or wounded after a bomb-laden vehicle exploded at a base of the terrorist group in Northern Idlib.

Scores of Tahrir al-Sham gunmen were killed or wounded after a bomb-laden vehicle exploded at a base of the terrorist group's military police in the town of al-Dana in Northern Idlib.

Local sources reported the blast was so heavy that destroyed the nearby buildings.

In the meantime, at least two Tahrir al-Sham terrorists were killed and several more were wounded after unknown raiders opened fire at their base in the town of Kafr Yahmoul in Northern Idbli.

Tahrir al-Sham arrested ten people in the village of Ma'ar Shourin in Southern Idlib, accusing them of cooperation with the ISIL.

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