File photo shows Syrian government forces in Daraa al-Balad city, Daraa province, southwestern province, Syria. (Photo by Syria’s official news agency SANA)
Damascus, December 1 (RHC)-- Nearly one thousand foreign-backed Takfiri terrorists, led by members of the Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham terrorist group, have been killed in Syria’s northwestern provinces of Aleppo and Idlib in the past three days, as government forces are pressing ahead with their counter-terrorism operations.
According to Syrian media outlets, the terrorists have been killed by Syrian troops with Russian air support. This came as the Russian Center for Reconciliation of the Opposing Parties in Syria had announced the elimination of at least 300 militants in Aleppo and Idlib, in coordination with the Syrian army.
Syria’s official news agency SANA, citing a military source, also reported that army units operating in the northern country of the west-central province of Hama strengthened their defense lines last night with various firepower assets.
“Our forces managed to fight off terror outfits, preventing them from achieving any breakthroughs,” the news outlet said, noting that Syrian army forces managed to successfully restore control over several areas after expelling terrorists, most notably Qalaat al-Madiq town and the village of Ma’ardas.
Additionally, the Syrian military, backed by Russian air support, struck terrorist bastions in the villages of Hazarin and al-Rakaya in the southern countryside of Idlib province.
Airstrikes also targeted the positions of HTS Takfiri terrorists near Khan Shaykhun town in southern Idlib as well as Morek town in the northern countryside of Hama.
Syrian military forces recaptured the town of Halfaya, located about 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) northwest of Hama, as well. Moreover, Syrian army troops and allied forces liberated the town of Taybat al-Imam, the village of Khirbet al-Hijama, and Suran city in the northern Hama countryside.
HTS-led terrorists carried out a surprise assault in the Aleppo and Idlib countryside on Wednesday and overran a number of villages and towns before entering Aleppo on Friday.
Syria has been gripped by foreign-sponsored militancy since March 2011, with Damascus saying the Western states and their regional allies are aiding terrorist groups to wreak havoc in the Arab country.
Terror outfits are seeking to hinder the Syrian government’s efforts aimed at consolidating security and stability in the country, which is also under the Israeli regime’s regular aggression.
Israel has been the principal supporter of terrorist groups that oppose the democratically-elected government of President Bashar al-Assad since the foreign-backed militancy erupted in Syria in March 2011.
