Information
Bookshop | Donate Derechos | Equipo Nizkor

07Mar14

---

Syria government retakes town near Damascus

---

The Syrian government says it has retaken another town near Damascus that will allow it to further secure the country's main highway. It says enhanced security conditions could smooth plans to remove the country's chemical weapons by April.

Once again, attention has turned to Qalamoun. The mountainous region links the capital Damascus with central Syria, and stretches all the way to the coast and the northern parts of the country.

The Syrian army says it is in the last phase of an operation to take control of the strategic area. Only one major city, Yabrud, remains in rebels' hands. Over the past three years, the city has been a vital supply station for anti-government fighters.

Lebanon is on the other side. The Syrian army says it is planning to launch a major offensive on these mountains to push back insurgents out of it.

For now the army is waiting, but that may not last for long. Armored and infantry units advanced on the key rebel stronghold of Al-Sahel and Rima, cutting off supply lines to Yabrud city. The military had earlier also severed 18 smuggling routes between Yabrud and Lebanon.

"We managed to take Al-Sahel town, which is the last step before moving in on Yabrud. This is a message to gunmen to turn themselves in," said a colonel in the Syrian army.

But rebels say they have fortified their posts in and around Yabrud and are ready to face the attacking Syrian military units along with Lebanese Hezbollah fighters.

In a clip posted on YouTube, the Islamic militants who control Yabrud claim they have thousands of fighters ready for the upcoming battle. Just one year ago, all the main cities here were controlled by opposition forces.

If the Syrian army takes Yabrud, it would end both the rebel presence in the Qalamoun area and their control over major cities in central Syria.

But the battle isn't over yet. With over 20,000 militants estimated to be in Yabrud, the outcome for either side is far from certain.

[Source: Xinhua, Beijing, 07Mar14]

Syria War

This document has been published on 10Mar14 by the Equipo Nizkor and Derechos Human Rights. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.