News / Syria

Syrian forces liberate last Daesh holdout in south: Monitor

Sunday, 18 November 2018 6:06 AM [ Last Update: Sunday, 18 November 2018 6:49 AM ]

The handout picture released by Syria's official SANA news agency on November 8, 2018 shows people celebrating and waving the national flag in in the city of Suwayda as they wait to welcome the recently-freed hostages, abducted in July by Daesh terrorists. (Via AFP)

Syrian government forces have managed to wrest control over the last holdout of the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group in the country's south, a UK-based monitoring group says.

The so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported the liberation of the Tulul al-Safa hilly region, situated between Damascus and Suwayda provinces, on Saturday.

The fresh territorial gain came after Daesh elements "withdrew from it (Tulul al-Safa) and headed east into the Badia desert," it added.

Syria's official SANA news agency confirmed that the army units had made "a significant advance against Daesh terrorists’ depots in Tulul al-Safa" and killed many extremists during their counter-terrorism operations.

The Syrian army units are clearing the liberated areas from what has been left behind by Daesh terrorists, the report said.

It also noted that Abu Hajar al-Shishani, a Daesh ringleader, had been killed east of the Qaber al-Sheikh Hussein region near Tulul al-Safa.

Some reports said Shishani's deputy had been injured in Saturday's anti-terror operation.

The Syrian army soldiers have been fighting Daesh in Suwayda since July, when the Takfiri terrorists launched their deadliest attack on the Druze minority community in the province.

PressTV-Video: Ex-Daesh captives thank Assad for liberation

A group of Syrians recently freed from Daesh's captivity express their gratitude to President Bashar al-Assad.

The terror outfit killed over 250 Syrians and kidnapped around 30 in its July 25 assault. Most of the hostages have been released, but the remainder appear to have died or been executed.

US-made missiles found in Rif Dimashq

Separately on Saturday, Syrian forces discovered weapons and ammunition, including US-made missiles, left behind by terrorists between the town of Babbila and the village of Beit Sahem in the southern Rif Dimashq Province.

A field commander said US-made TAO missiles, launchers, RPGs, machineguns and hand grenades were among the weapons seized.

On Friday, media reports said Jabhat al-Nusra and groups affiliated to the terrorist outfit were preparing to use chemical weapons against civilians and blame the attack on the government of President Bashar al-Assad in a bid to justify a new Western military aggression.

Jabhat al-Nusra has provided the chemical weapons to other terror organizations to distribute them in Idlib Province and the outskirts of a demilitarized zone there, the reports said.

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