Syrian Arab army imposes control over hill in al-Zabadani, eliminates 16 thugs in Lattakia

PROVINCES,(ST)_ A group of foreign-backed terrorists, some from al-Nusra Front, have perished in a series of operations launched against their hideouts and groupings outside Damascus, Lattakia, and Aleppo provinces, military and official sources say.

The sources said today that the armed forces eliminated many terrorists, including ringleaders, in operations carried out in the suburbs of Barzeh, al-Qabon, Erbin, Daraya, and al-Qasemeyeh and mowed down nine identified terrorists in clashes that erupted in Jobar suburb and in al-Hseneyeh, Hajjira and al-Dyabeyeh towns outside Damascus.

Fighting in Ma’aloula 

More terrorists linked to al-Nusra Front were hammered as the armed forces raided their groupings in the eastern and western sides of Ma’aloula town, around 55km to the north-east of Damascus. 

Around 45km to the north-west of Damascus, the armed forces imposed  control over al-Raqem Hill in Zabadani’s eastern mountains after flushing terrorists out there, according to the official news agency (SANA).

In Lattakia countryside 

However, in Lattakia province, a military source confirmed the death of 16 terrorists in towns of Ein Arab and announced names of 8 terrorists killed in al-Kendaseyeh, Droshan and al-Rehaneyeh towns.

It made it clear that one of the terrorist killed in al-Rehaneyeh town was of Kuwaiti nationality while the other was Libyan, noting that an army unit pounded an arms dump containing a big quantity of RPG launchers and heavy machine guns in the same town.

Weapons seized

In another development, the competent authorities confiscated an ATGM, snipers, medical items, rifles and mortar shells inside a car on the outskirts of al-Waer quarter in Homs province and found a big quantity of gasoline hidden inside tanks in five buses in Palmyra city. The buses were coming from Damascus to Der Ezzour.

Yesterday, the competent authorities also seized a weapons-laden car at the entry of al-Waer quarter.

Other weapons and ammunitions were destroyed in operations that targeted hideouts of terrorists in more than 13 areas in Aleppo countryside. Dozens of terrorists died therein.

B.Q