Syrian Forces Launch 2nd Phase of Damascus Battle to Drive Out Daesh
DAMASCUS (Tasnim) – Syria’s army and its allies have started the second phase of a major operation titled “Al-Fajr Al-Kobra” to drive out Daesh (ISIL or ISIS) terrorists from Damascus outskirts, a report said.
According to Tasnim dispatches, Syrian forces on Monday began the second stage of the operation near an airport in the eastern countryside of the capital to flush out the Takfiri terrorists.
A military source, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the Syrian forces are now near al-Asfar hilltop and several other smaller hills in the suburban neighborhood.
The source added that the assault is aimed at securing a road, which connects Damascus to Palmyra in the central province of Homs.
Syria has been gripped by civil war since March 2011 with various terrorist groups, including Daesh (also known as ISIS or ISIL), currently controlling parts of it.
According to a report by the Syrian Center for Policy Research, the conflict has claimed the lives of over 470,000 people, injured 1.9 million others, and displaced nearly half of the country’s pre-war population of about 23 million within or beyond its borders.
