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Derechos | Equipo Nizkor
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| Information | | |
Derechos | Equipo Nizkor
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25Sep14
Syria presses ahead with war on militants amid U. S.-led airstrikes
The Syrian military has been pressing ahead with its war against armed militants amid U.S.-led airstrikes on targets of extremist groups on Syria soil, a senior Syrian officer told Xinhua on Thursday.
"The Syrian military strategic plans in battling the armed terrorist groups have not been affected by the airstrikes the U.S.- led coalition is waging against the Islamic State positions inside Syria," the officer said on condition of anonymity.
The Syrian air force is undertaking a previously-planned operation against targets of militant groups in Syria, conducting 200 airstrikes last Sunday and Monday alone, he said.
On Thursday, government forces recaptured the town of Adra al- Umaliyeh in the northeastern countryside of Damascus, the pan-Arab al-Maydeen TV reported.
Adra al-Umaliyeh, a largely residential area for state employees, was seized by rebels last year.
Syria, U.S. "In One Trench" on Terror
Analysts believe the Syrian army is ramping up pressure on armed rebels across the country to showcase its power as a vital player in the war on terror, despite the fact that the U.S.-led anti-terror coalition, which started its airstrikes against radical groups in Syria Tuesday, has publicly declared that there is no coordination or cooperation with Damascus in the war on terror groups.
Still, observers and local media reports believe there is an indirect coordination between the Syrian government and the United States.
The al-Watan newspaper said in an editorial that both the Syrian and U.S. militaries are now in the same "trench" against terror groups.
"The U.S. military command has become in one trench with the leadership of the Syrian army in the battle against terrorism inside Syria on the eastern and southeastern borders, even though Washington and Damascus may reject this metaphor because it goes against the public opinion in both countries," the paper said.
On Wednesday, government forces recaptured the town of Ghubait in the eastern countryside of the central province of Homs, the officer said.
He said that the Syrian troops also targeted Islamic State (IS) positions in the countryside of the northwestern province of Aleppo, between the towns of Bab and Qabasiyeen.
The pro-government al-Watan newspaper reported Thursday that 20 IS fighters were killed when Syrian troops targeted their positions in the vicinity of the Koers military airbase in the countryside of Aleppo.
In Deir al-Zour, the officer said, the army struck IS positions in the districts of Hwaika, Sinaa and the old airport.
Earlier on Thursday, at least 14 IS fighters and five civilians were killed as a result of the U.S.-led airstrikes against the militant positions in northern and eastern Syria, the pan-Arab al- Mayadeen TV reported, citing activists.
Militants Repositioning
The U.S.-led air campaign entered its third day Thursday and the airstrikes were largely focusing on the countryside of the eastern Deir al-Zour province and the northwestern province of al- Raqqa, local media said.
The families of IS fighters have started fleeing al-Raqqa toward the northeastern countryside of that province, the main stronghold of the terror group.
The al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front, which was also targeted in the U.S.-led airstrikes, also started repositioning in the areas under their control to avert further strikes, local media said.
[Source: Xinhua, Damascus, 25Sep14]
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