Syrian troops break militant siege on army base in Eastern Ghouta
Syrian government forces have managed to break a siege imposed by the foreign-backed Takfiri militants on a strategic army base in Eastern Ghouta near the capital, Damascus.
The advance comes just a handful of days after the army's elite forces launched a major operation to break the siege by Ahrar al-Sham terrorists on the Military Vehicles Administration base in the town of Harasta in Eastern Ghouta.
At least 200 Syrian troops were believed to be trapped within the premises since the militants stormed the base in November. On December 31, the Takfiri militants reportedly widened their control of the base.
The so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a pro-opposition monitoring group, said on Sunday that the Syrian troops had "opened a loophole" that led them into the base.
The state-run al-Ikhbariya TV said that fierce clashes were going on inside and around the base late at night, while the army troops fought their way to retake control of the compound's buildings.
"Fighting is underway to expand the route that was opened into the base ... and the army will press on with its offensive beyond liberating the base," the TV channel’s reporter said. He also expected the battle for the base to end in the coming few hours.
In November, the Takfiri militants stormed the base from which the army troops were delivering heavy blows to the terrorists in Eastern Ghouta, the militants’ last stronghold around Damascus.
Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. The Syrian government says the Israeli regime and its Western and regional allies are aiding Takfiri terrorist groups wreaking havoc in the country.
Moscow has been providing air cover to Syrian army operations since 2014. Aided by the aerial support and Iranian military advisory assistance, government forces began reversing the terrorists’ gains.
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