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Derechos | Equipo Nizkor
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Derechos | Equipo Nizkor
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16Jun15
Syrian army foils major attack against key airbase in Swaida
The Syrian army on Monday foiled a massive offensive launched by armed militants against a key Syrian airbase in the southern province of Swaida, a military source in the province told Xinhua.
Several militant groups, mainly the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front, launched a wide-scale offensive against the Thaaleh airbase in the western countryside of the predominantly Druze province of Swaida on Monday, the second of such offensives since the same militants attempted to storm the facility on June 10 without a success, the source said.
He said the attack lasted for eight straight hours on Monday, adding that the Syrian air force intervened and pushed the militants around 1,800 meters away from the airbase.
The artillery also pounded the areas, from which the rebels unleashed their attack in the countryside of the nearby province of Daraa.
The Thaaleh airbase is located in a town under the same name, around 10 km west of Swaida and adjacent to towns under the rebel control in the eastern countryside of Daraa province.
The airbase and the town are considered the first defense line to Swaida, a province that has largely remained intact during Syria's long-running conflict.
The source said over 100 militants were killed during Monday's attack, adding that six Syrian soldiers and an officer were killed during the militants' attack Monday.
A day earlier, a Syrian officer told Xinhua that the Syrian army was determined to eliminate the armed militants, who have been trying to storm Thaaleh.
The officer, who asked not to be named, said the June 10 attack by the rebels on the Thaaleh airbase was thwarted quickly by the Syrian army forces, who were aware of the attack by observing the movement of the rebels in the nearby towns in the adjacent countryside of Daraa province.
The officer said the militants are currently located in three Daraa towns near Thaaleh, namely the towns of Um Walad, al-Karak and Harak, which were captured by the rebels earlier this month.
"Al-Karak is seven or eight kilometers from Thaaleh. Um Walad is three or four kilometers while Harak is nine kilometers from Thaaleh," he stated.
"We have a plan to clean those areas from the terrorists as part of our bigger plan of fighting terrorism. We are also working to clear the towns near the Thaaleh airbase from the terrorists," he stressed.
The officer said that many of the Thaaleh residents offered to help the Syrian army in defending the airbase and their town against the extremist militants attack.
Meanwhile, the officer stressed that the Syrian army will defend Swaida, as it's the case in any other Syrian province.
The Druze minority, along with other minority groups in Syria, has emerged as supporters of President Bashar al-Assad, fearing the expansion of radical jihadist groups that showed no tolerance of minority groups in Syria.
The residents of the Thaaleh have been on alert as the threats of the militants have inched closer to the western countryside of Swaida.
[Source: Xinhua, Swaida, 16Jun15]
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 | This document has been published on 17Jun15 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. |