Fierce Clashes between Syria Army, Militants Underway in Damascus Suburbs
DAMASCUS (Tasnim) – Fierce clashes are underway between the Syrian government forces and Takfiri terrorists in Eastern Ghouta near the capital Damascus.
According to Tasnim dispatches, the Syrian army and its allies on Wednesday launched a multi-pronged operation against the Jabhat Fatah al-Sham (formerly known as al-Nusra Front) terrorist group in the Eastern Ghouta District to take control of three neighborhoods there.
A military source, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the army troops started the operation from the village of Hosh al-Zawahiri in the district and are now moving toward al-Rayhan town.
Large groups of the terrorists were killed and several of their vehicles destroyed in the clashes.
Separately, the Syrian forces, backed by Russian warplanes, launched an operation against the terrorists in the western-central province of Hama, managing to arrive at the strategically important town of Halfaya where al-Nusra Front had been massing forces.
After inflicting major losses on terrorists, the army troops fully cleared the area of al-Bateesh, northern Hama, of them.
Over the past almost six years, Syria has been fighting foreign-sponsored militancy. UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura estimated in August that more than 400,000 people had been killed in the Syrian crisis until then. The UN has stopped its official casualty count in Syria, citing its inability to verify the figures it receives from various sources.
