Syria Arab Army Seizes 200 kg Explosives in Homs’ Al-Zara Town, Shoots over 85 Terrorists in Yabroud City
PROVINCES,(ST)_Military operations against foreign-backed terrorist groups have been escalated on two fronts in the past few days.
The ongoing operations ended, so far, in defeating terrorists from al-Zara town outside Talkalkh in central Homs province and making remarkable progress in hunting down terrorists in Yabroud area outside Damascus province.
The General Command of Army and Armed forces said yesterday: “Following a concentrated operation, units of the Syrian Arab army- in cooperation with national defense forces and honest locals- imposed, on Saturday morning, control over al-Zara town and its surrounding in the western countryside of Homs city.”
It confirmed that a number of Takfiri terrorists were eliminated during the operation.
Al-Zara town
“The importance of the achievement is due to geographical location of al-Zara town which overlooks the international road linking central and coastal areas. The town had been used by terrorist groups as a main crossing point from the Lebanese territories into nearby areas to carry out their criminal acts,” the official news agency reported, citing the General Command.
The agency noted that as many as 30 gunmen from al-Zara town turned themselves in to the competent authorities.
It said today that 200 kgs of explosives plus bags of C4 high explosives were confiscated and 24 booby traps were defused by the army units during a moping-up operation in the town.
Yabroud front
While in Yabroud area outside Damascus, the state-run Syrian TV channel said yesterday that the army units mowed down many terrorists belonging to al-Nusra Front, the Islamic Front and the ‘Ahfad al-Sahabeh’ battalion.
Terrorists of Lebanese and Palestinian nationalities were among the dead there.
Today, the official agency reported that at least 15 terrorists were killed and 70 others wounded in a series of concentrated operations inside Yabroud city and in its surrounding from the northern and eastern sides.
It added that two weapons-laden cars for terrorists were destroyed in Alya farms in Duma area and in Adra al-Balad
Last night, the army units seized a weapons-laden car for terrorists at the entrance of al-Wafidin camp in Duma area outside Damascus province.
The car was bound for terrorists in the eastern Ghouta outside Damascus, according to the official agency.
Around 110 km to the south of Damascus, precisely in Daraa province, the army units mowed down on Saturday more than 14 terrorists and destroyed 2 cars loaded with missiles and heavy machinegun in Tal al-Za’atar area.
Daraa massacre
The same province [Daraa] witnessed a savage crime perpetrated by armed terrorists of different nationalities against civilians.
A video tape posted on websites showed that terrorists in cold blood killed 10 civilians, including a child and an old man, after forcing them to kneel down.
Shells hit Lattakia
Another act of terror took place today in Lattakia province when three shells- fired by terrorists- hit the surrounding of Lattakia city.
At least 14 civilians were wounded by the mortar attack, a source at Lattakia governorate said.
Tow days ago, the terrorists fired missiles on ‘al-Andalos’ School in al-Dablan quarter in Homs province leaving 7 civilians wounded.
The school houses a shelter for displaced civilians who have fled the old city of Homs and its surrounding.
Ancient monuments
On March 5th, the official agency quoted a source at Homs governorate as saying that the competent authorities found 9 stolen ancient monuments stashed inside a hideout for terrorists in Palmyra farms.
Back to the latest developments in military operations elsewhere, the army units targeted armed terrorist groupings on the outskirts of Aleppo central prison and in several towns outside Aleppo province, foiled infiltration bid into Bestan al-Bash in Aleppo city and wiped out terrorist groupings near Bennesh town outside Idleb.
An unknown number of terrorists were hit in the said areas.
Syria is fighting terrorism exported from around 83 countries.
The US, France, the UK, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar sponsor the terrorist groups operating in Syria, world media reports say.
Basma Qaddour