Over 120 Daesh terrorists killed in central Syria
madaresharghi Fierce clashes between Daesh and Syrian forces in central Syria left over 150 people dead mostly terrorists, a monitor said Sunday. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 120 Daesh terrorists “were killed in clashes in and around the town of Uqayribat in the eastern Hama countryside… along with at least 35 Syrian […]
Fierce clashes between Daesh and Syrian forces in central Syria left over 150 people dead mostly terrorists, a monitor said Sunday.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 120 Daesh terrorists “were killed in clashes in and around the town of Uqayribat in the eastern Hama countryside… along with at least 35 Syrian troops and militiamen,” AFP wrote.
The town is the terror group’s last bastion in the central province apart from a handful of small villages.
Pro-government forces seized Uqayribat on Friday night, but Daesh responded with a counteroffensive on Saturday that left it in control of most of the town, Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said.
An intense barrage of artillery fire and Syrian and Russian airstrikes on terrorists’ positions allowed pro-Syria forces on Sunday morning to push the terrorists back out of the town and advance on villages to the west that remain under Daesh control.
Daesh has controlled Uqayribat since 2014, using it to launch attacks on government-held areas and a strategically vital road Abdel Rahman described as “the only lifeline for Syrian forces between Aleppo and central and southern Syria”.
Syrian forces, backed by heavy Russian airstrikes, launched a major assault on Daesh-held parts of Hama in June.
“By consolidating their control of (Uqayribat) and ousting Daesh from the surrounding villages, Syrian forces could oust the organization from the whole of Hama Province,” Abdel Rahman said.
Other terror groups still control parts of the province’s rural north.
Daesh has suffered multiple defeats across Syria and neighboring Iraq in recent months, notably in its main Syrian base of Raqqa.
On Friday a US-backed Kurdish-Arab coalition seized Raqqa’s Old City and was advancing on the terrorists in the heavily defended city center.
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) began their offensive in May, capturing the city of Tabqa and a key dam nearby before entering Raqqa city in early June.
Meanwhile, pro-Syria forces have advanced against Daesh in the eastern part of Homs province and western Deir ez-Zor, where they have come to within 19 kilometers (12 miles) of the provincial capital.
Syria has been fighting different terrorist groups since March 2011.