Syrian Forces Recapture Military Base From Rebels

The Syrian army has reclaimed a military site on the outskirts of the country’s capital Damascus from rebel forces, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).

Government troops “managed to open a road” on Sunday to the military vehicles administration base in the city of Harasta, in the Eastern Ghouta district, freeing some 200 troops trapped inside the compound, the British-based monitor said, Al Jazeera reported.

The government forces had been besieged by rebel fighters from the Ahrar al-Sham and al-Rahman Corps  terrorist groups since an offensive on December 31, 2017, during which anti-government forces expanded their control over the site.

Some 160 pro-government and rebel fighters have been killed in fighting over the base since December 31, according to SOHR.

Rebel forces stormed the site in November 2017 in an attempt to prevent government strikes on rebel-held enclaves in Eastern Ghouta.

Government assaults on the district have been frequent in recent weeks and are believed to be part of the Syrian government’s strategy to retake rebel-held positions.

The blast, for which there has been no claim of responsibility so far, struck the military headquarters of the Ajnad al-Kavkaz terrorist group, the monitor reported.

The monitor, which claims it gathers its information from a network of sources inside Syria, added that it was not clear whether the attack was specifically targeting the group’s base.

The rebel-held province of Idlib has seen increased violence in recent weeks as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad intensifies his efforts to gain control over the region.

Government forces have captured more than 60 villages in Idlib Province in the past two weeks, according to the SOHR.