Syrian Arab Army Regains Control of Maaloula and al-Sarkha Towns Plus Mount Chalma
PROVINCES,(ST)_The army units have flushed out foreign-backed terrorist groups from the ancient town of Maaloula and al-Sarkha town in Damascus countryside and regained control over Jabal Sal Drin [ well known as Mount Chalma] in Lattakia countryside, according to military sources.
The General Command of the Army and Armed Forces said in a statement released today: “Units of the Syrian Arab army, in cooperation with the National defense forces, restored today morning stability and security to towns of Maaloula, al-Sarkha and al-Jobbeh in al-Qalamoun area and took control over the surrounding hills and highlands after eliminating large numbers of terrorists and destroying their criminal tools.”
The statement pointed out that the new achievement comes within the Syrian Arab army’s successive victories in combating the Takfiri terrorism.
Crucial stage
“It [the achievement] is a crucial stage in sanitizing the remaining hotbeds of terrorism in al-Qalamoun area in particular and in Damascus countryside in general. It is a main step to abort terrorism and its supporters in the country,” the statement read.
The general command vowed to do its utmost to protect the homeland’s dignity.
Earlier, a military source has confirmed that the army units are defusing explosive devices planted by terrorists in Maaloula town and hunting down the remaining terrorists on the outskirts of the said towns.
In this context, the official news agency’s reporter said the army units made progress in Jab’adin town following the restoration of security and stability to al-Sarkha town, which is located to the south-west of Yabroud city in al-Qalamon area.
As for the latest developments in the ongoing battle in Lattakia countryside, the agency quoted a military source as citing that the army units and the national defense forces imposed control over Jabal Sal Drin overlooking Kasab city from the western side.
The army units’ successive victories over terrorist groups outside Damascus and Lattakia provinces coincided with the continuation of military operations in several flashpoint areas in the provinces of Aleppo, Idleb and Homs where many terrorists were reportedly eliminated.
Some 28 terrorists killed
As many as 12 terrorists, including 5 snipers, were mowed down by an army unit in al-Awarid quarter in Aleppo city, a military source declared, adding that an army unit thwarted terrorists’ infiltration bid into Bestan al-Basha in the same city.
The source affirmed that the army units inflicted heavy losses upon terrorists in surrounding to the Industrial city and in al-Layramon, Handarat, Dare Ezza, Byanon, Mare’a, Ezan, Khan Tuman, al-Atareb, al-Wadiha, Qebtan al-Jabal, al-Amereyeh, surroundings of Kweris, al-Jadedeh, Erbid and Rasm al-Abbod.
In addition, the army units crushed some 16 terrorists from the so-called the ‘Ahrar al-Sham’ and destroyed an arms cache in ICARDA on Aleppo-Damascus highway and targeted terrorist groupings to the north of Abo al-Dhohor and Hmimat al-Dayer outside Idleb province.
Other terrorist groupings were shelled by army units in many areas in Homs and Daraa provinces amid reports of warding off terrorists’ attack on a garrison in al-Hrak town in southern Daraa province and dismantling an explosive device on Qormos-Mermin road in Homs province.
About 645 gunmen surrendered
On the other hand, about 645 gunmen from the provinces of Damascus, Damascus countryside, Quneitra, Hama, Hassaka, Der Ezzour and Homs turned themselves in to the competent authorities under the national reconciliation process.
Basma Qaddour