Syria in Past 24 Hours:

Army Frees Vital Points from ISIL in Sweida Desert

Rasa - The Syrian Army men continued storming ISIL's strongholds in the Eastern Deserts of Sweida and managed to capture more key regions on Wednesday, tightening noose on terrorists from several directions.

News ID: 439305

Date: 30 August 2018 - 22:28

RNA - The Syrian Army men continued storming ISIL's strongholds in the Eastern Deserts of Sweida and managed to capture more key regions on Wednesday, tightening noose on terrorists from several directions.

Sweida

The army soldiers engaged in heavy fighting with ISIL West of Toloul al-Safa in the Eastern desert of Sweida and managed to advance 3km in depths of the rocks.

The army men further advanced towards Hawa Awaz Pond, the most important water source for terrorists, after advancing in the depth of Toloul al-Safa.

The army later managed to reinvigorate the newly-captured positions and cut off terrorists' supply lines.

ISIL suffered tens of casualties and a number of its forces were captured in the army operation.

Also in the past 24 hours, the Syrian army forces continued advancing in the Eastern deserts of Sweida, pushing ISIL into a full collapse after destroying a main command post of the terrorists in region.

The army men engaged in a tough battle with ISIL in Tal Abu Qanem in the depth of the Eastern deserts of Sweida, and established their rule over Qabr Eid Hanish in Toloul al-Safa.

Other units of the army managed to advance in Qabr Sheikh Hossein and Um Marzakh flanks and captured several points, including Hawa Awaz Pond.

In the meantime, the army's artillery and missile units pounded ISIL's strongholds and movements in Sweida's Eastern deserts, and destroyed a key command post and a position in a region between Khirbet al-Hawi and Um Marzakh, inflicting major losses on the terrorists.

Other units of the army, liberated a large area in the rocks in Toloul al-Safa and fortified the newly-captured positions.

Field sources said that ISIL front is collapsing after the army managed to advance in the difficult-to-move region in Toloul al-Safa.

Aleppo

More gunmen were killed in fresh clashes among rival terrorist groups in Northeastern Aleppo on Wednesday.

Gunmen of al-Shamiyeh Front and the Free Police affiliated to the Turkish army, exchanged heavy fire in the town of Jarabulus in Northeastern Aleppo.

The infighting came after one of the members of al-Shamiyeh was arrested by the Free Police accusing him of cooperation with ISIL.

A number of fighters were killed and wounded in the clashes.

In the meantime, the Free Army captured Abu Omar Maskana, a commander of al-Shamiyeh.

Field sources reported that the clashes are still underway.

Hama

The Syrian army discovered a depot of arms and ammunition that contained American missiles during a clean-up operation in a region in Northwestern Hama once under terrorists' occupation.

The army's engineering units found a depot of arms and ammunition in terrorists' positions in Toloul al-Hamr in Northwestern Hama.

A large volume of arms and ammunition, different missiles, rockets and projectiles, including seven US-made TOW anti-tank missiles, tank cannons, BMP vehicles and a large volume of bullets were founded in the depot.

Damascus

Thousands of displaced people made their way home to the city of Darayya in Damascus’ countryside for the first time in years, having been forced to flee in 2012 when militants took control of the city.

Returnees gathered in the streets and raised their national flag, as they celebrated their long-awaited return to their homes, the AMN reported.

“This is the beginning of the end of the tragedy that we have experienced for years,” said a man.

Another man thanked the Syrian Army for securing their safe return.

“After a long time abroad, it has been seven years since we were able – with the will of the army – to return to Darayya city,” he said.

Darayya was liberated by the army in 2016 and has since undergone work to revive basic services for civilians to return to normal life.

Raqqa

Another mass grave containing the bodies of civilians killed in the US-led coalition airstrikes was found in Raqqa city, local sources said on Wednesday.

The sources said that a mass grave of civilians, containing the bodies of a sum of 50 civilians killed in the US air raids, was discovered in al-Jameh al-Qadim Ataq in Central Raqqa.

At least a dozen mass graves of civilians have thus far been unearthed in Raqqa after the city's occupation by the US forces and their allied militias.

Also, some seven bodies of other civilians killed in the US air raids on Raqqa were discovered on Tuesday.

Bodies of five civilians killed in the US air raids were taken out of debris in a market in Raqqa city.

In the meantime, bodies of two civilians that were also killed in the US-led coalition air attacks were unearthed in al-Badu neighborhood in Raqqa city.

Hasaka

The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) stormed civilians that had demonstrated against foreign occupiers in a town in Hasaka province, a Lebanese media outlet reported on Wednesday.

The Arabic-language al-Mayadeen TV Channel reported that tens of people in the town of Qamishli in Hasaka province poured into the streets, demonstrating against the SDF militias in front of al-Amal school in al-Wosta neighborhood and hoisted the Damascus government's flag.

Al-Mayadeen went on to say that the SDF opened fire at people to disperse them, adding that the popular uprising came after the SDF prevented schools from exercising Damascus government's official education program and closed down the schools that did not use the Kurdish education curriculum.

In the meantime, the SDF shut down the Orthodox and Syriac schools under the pretext of lack of license and violation of the educational system, al-Mayadeen said, adding that priests of churches in al-Jazeera and Forat region announced in a statement that they will close the doors of churches and will halt religious activities if if the SDF shuts down the schools.

Idlib

A large cargo of poisonous materials, smuggled by the pro-militant White Helmets into Syria, has been transferred to a warehouse of Ahrar al-Sham terrorists in Idlib province for a false-flag chemical attack, a Russian media outlet said on Wednesday.

The Arabic-language website of Sputnik quoted Head of Russian Reconciliation Center for Syria Alexi Siganokov as reporting that a number of the White Helmets Organization members have transferred a large cargo of poisonous materials to a warehouse in the town of Saraqib that is under Ahrar al-Sham's control.

It further said that the consignment was transferred on two large trucks from the village of Afas to Saraqib.

Siganokov told the Arabic Sputnik that a part of the consignment was transferred to Southern Idlib in plastic barrels, adding the barrels of poisons will be used by terrorists to stage a fake chemical attack against civilians to further accuse the gov't forces of the gas assault.

Also in the past 24 hours, the Syrian army sent more troops and equipment to the Northwestern parts of the country to reinvigorate its combat capabilities for an imminent major operation in Idlib province.

The army forwarded tens of military vehicles, a large number of fresh soldiers and a large volume of equipment to Southern Idlib as it is preparing for a large-scale operation in Northwestern Syria.

In the meantime, the army's artillery and missile units pounded the positions and movements of Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at (the Levant Liberation Board or the Al-Nusra Front) and its allies near the towns of Hasraya and al-Latamina, destroying a base in al-Latamina and killing the entire militants inside.

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