The Free Syrian Army (FSA) and Syrian government forces clashed in northern Syria near al-Bab for the second time in 30 days.FSA forces, supported by Turkey and some Gulf states, recently claimed the city of al-Bab, despite the CIA's move to freeze military aid to the group. Al-Bab had previously been held by Daesh militants before FSA reclaimed the city. Just four kilometers south of al-Bab, Syrian government forces seized the nearby town of Tadef. Between the two towns is where the violence is thought to have occurred.Sources from the FSA and the Syrian armed forces confirmed the fighting, with a Syrian official telling Reuters that Russia's intervention proved to be definitive in ending the clash. A rebel militant open fire on government forces after it was determined that Syrian troops were moving too close to al-Bab. The rebels further violated the ceasefire accord after having "targeted our forces in Tadef with artillery and machine guns," a Syrian military official said. The official described the militants as "terrorist groups that belong to Turkey." According to a statement from the FSA communications army, 22 troops loyal to the Syrian government were killed during the skirmish.Turkish forces were not present to ensure the ceasefire agreement, a Syrian armed forces official said. The "main aim" of rebels, according to the official, is not fighting Daesh, but realizing other goals, including an attempt to obstruct the Syrian army's operation confronting Daesh. The source from the Syrian military did not provide an official death count.Daesh previously retreated from 23 positions in villages east of al-Bab. One of the towns abandoned by Daesh, Tadef, was supposed to serve as a line in the sand between Syrian troops and military factions receiving Turkish support, a senior Russian official said.</s>The Syrian army and its allies made a sudden advance on Saturday and Sunday into areas held by Islamic State, a war monitor said, as the jihadist group retreated after losing the city of al-Bab to rebels backed by Turkey.

By taking Islamic State territory south of al-Bab in northwest Syria, the army is preventing any possible move by Turkey and the rebel groups it supports to expand southwards, and is moving closer to regaining control of water supplies for Aleppo.

On Sunday, the army took the town of Tadef, just south of al-Bab, after Islamic State (also known as Isis) withdrew from it, state television reported. Earlier this month, a senior Russian official said Tadef marked an agreed dividing line between the Syrian army and the Turkish-backed forces.

The eastwards advance south of Tadef has extended Syrian army control across 14 villages and brought it within 25km (15 miles) of Lake Assad, the stretch of the Euphrates above the Tabqa dam.

Also on Sunday, the Syrian army and its allies made a new advance against Islamic State around Palmyra, coming to within a few kilometres of the ancient desert city that the jihadists captured in December.

Islamic State’s holdings in northwest Syria have been eviscerated in recent months by successive advances by three different, rival forces: Syrian Kurdish groups backed by the United States, the Turkey-backed rebels, and the army.

Fighting in the area is continuing as the army and its allies advance, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said on Sunday.

Islamic State’s loss of al-Bab after weeks of bitter street fighting marks the group’s effective departure from northwest Syria, once one of its most fearsome strongholds, and an area of importance because of its location on the Turkish border.

Steady advances since 2015 by the Syrian Democratic Forces, the Kurdish-led alliance of armed groups, had pushed jihadists from much of the frontier by the middle of last year, and have since then threatened its stronghold in Raqqa.

Turkey’s entry into Syria’s civil war, via the Euphrates Shield campaign in support of rebel groups fighting under the banner of the Free Syrian Army, was intended both to push Islamic State from the border and to stop Kurdish expansion there.

Syrian activists on Sunday called for the Assad government to engage in serious talks on political transition and for the United Nations to strengthen the fragile ceasefire as violence engulfed parts of the country.

UN mediator Staffan de Mistura said a militant attack in Homs on Saturday was a deliberate attempt to wreck the Geneva peace talks, while the warring sides traded blame and appeared no closer to actual negotiations.

“Our hopes are not high given the incidents on the ground and the continuous violations by the regime forces and its backers of the ceasefire,” Mutasem Alysoufi of The Day After Syria campaign, which supports a democratic transition, told Reuters in Geneva.

Warplanes bombed rebel-held areas around several Syrian cities on Sunday, including in the al-Waer district of Homs, and in towns around Damascus, the Syrian Observatory said. One person was killed in the Damascus suburb of Douma and three in al-Waer, according to the monitor, while shells and rockets were launched at insurgent districts in Deraa and Idlib provinces. Rebels fired several shells at a suburb of government-held Aleppo.

Under Security Council resolution 2254, Mr de Mistura is meant to develop a plan to monitor the ceasefire and sanction those who violate it, Mr Alysoufi said. “So this is a duty of the UN.”

On the government delegation led by Syrian ambassador Bashar Ja’afari, he said: “We believe that they are not serious to engage here in serious political discussion. Rather, they are gaining more time and continuing their military strategy on the ground.”</s>DAMASCUS, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Syrian army captured a key town in northern countryside of Aleppo province on Sunday, following battles with Islamic State (IS) group, according to state news agency SANA.

Capturing the town of Tadef enables the Syrian army to secure transportation routes in eastern Aleppo, and constitute a base for launching attacks and undermining the presence of the IS militants in that part of the province, a general-command of the Syrian army said in a statement.

The town is also located southeast of city al-Bab, which has recently been captured by Turkish forces and allied rebel fighters.

The Syrian army unleashed a wide-scale offensive in the northeastern countryside of Aleppo, after succeeding to wrest control over the city of Aleppo last December.

The offensive enabled the military forces to become in control of 600 km east of Aleppo.

Also, the army has laid a siege on the southern rim of al-Bab city, to secure the eastern part of Aleppo city from the IS attacks, or the possible advance of the Turkish-backed rebels.

Observers believe that there was a Russian-Turkish understanding for splitting the battles in al-Bab.

For the Turks, capturing al-Bab cuts the way in the face of the growing Kurdish influence in northern Syria, a red line drawn by Turkey.

For the Syrian army, laying a siege to al-Bab from its southern edge prevents IS fighters to withdraw toward other stronghold in eastern province of Deir al-Zour, or northern city of al-Raqqa, the de facto capital of the terror-designated group.

The Syrian government has always looked to the Turkish moves in northern Syria as an encroachment upon the sovereignty of the country, claiming that Ankara is capturing areas in northern Syria to build a wall, which could be a prelude to setting Ankara's long-demanded safe zones in northern Syria, near the Turkish borders.</s>FILE PHOTO: Rebel fighters carry their weapons as they climb a staircase on the outskirts of Al-Bab town in Syria January 22, 2017. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi/File Photo

BEIRUT/ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey-backed Syrian rebel groups clashed with government forces near a city in northern Syria that the rebels recently captured from Islamic State, sources on both sides said, the second such confrontation in the region this month.

The fighting late on Sunday took place in an area where the sides are waging separate campaigns against Islamic State.

Russia, which backs the Syrian government, mediated to bring an end to the confrontation, according to a source in the military alliance fighting in support of President Bashar al-Assad. Russia also intervened to halt the previous clash.

The latest incident occurred near the city of al-Bab, which Free Syrian Army (FSA) rebels captured last week from Islamic State. Syrian government forces on Sunday announced the capture of the town of Tadef, 4 km (2.5 miles) to the south.

A rebel official in touch with one of the FSA groups taking part in the Turkey-backed campaign in northern Syria said rebels had opened fire on Sunday in response to an attempt by government forces to advance closer to al-Bab.

An FSA statement said "22 regime members" were killed.

A Syrian military source said the rebels had "targeted our forces in Tadef with artillery and machine guns". The source, who described the FSA factions as "terrorist groups that belong to Turkey", gave no casualty toll.

Earlier this month, a senior Russian official said Tadef marked an agreed dividing line between the Syrian army and the Turkey-backed forces.

Turkey, a major backer of Syrian opposition to Assad, last year began cooperating with Russia in Syria. With Moscow, it has co-sponsored a ceasefire between government and rebel forces in western Syria.

The rebel official said Turkish forces were not involved in the confrontation, adding that government forces appeared to be testing the rebels. "They probably hadn't thought that they would receive such a fierce response," the official said.

The Syrian military source said the incident showed the rebels' "main aim is not fighting Daesh (Islamic State), but realizing other goals including an attempt to obstruct the Syrian army's operation confronting Daesh".</s>A Syrian girl, holding her stuffed toy, stands next to the rubble of buildings in the northwestern Syrian border town of al-Bab on February 25, 2017. At least 22 Syrian troops were killed in a clash with Free Syrian Army forces in Tadif town near the city of al-Bab, opposition fighters said late Sunday.

Start the conversation, or Read more at Al Bawaba.</s>Syrian army captured a key town in northern countryside of Aleppo province on Sunday, following battles with Islamic State group, according to state news agency SANA. Capturing the town of Tadef enables the Syrian army to secure transportation routes in eastern Aleppo, and constitute a base for launching attacks and undermining the presence of the IS militants in that part of the province, a general-command of the Syrian army said in a statement.

Start the conversation, or Read more at Xinhuanet.</s>The Syrian army and its allies made a sudden advance on Saturday and Sunday into areas held by Islamic State in northwest Syria, a war monitor said, as the jihadist group retreated after losing the city of al-Bab to Turkey-backed rebels on Thursday.

On Sunday, the army also took the town of Tadef, just south of al-Bab after Islamic State withdrew from it, state television reported. Earlier this month, a senior Russian official said Tadef marked an agreed dividing line between the Syrian army and the Turkey-backed forces.

The eastwards advance in an area south of al-Bab has extended Syrian army control across 14 villages and brought it within 25km (15 miles) of Lake Assad, the stretch of the Euphrates above the Tabqa dam.

Islamic State's holdings in northwest Syria have been eviscerated over recent months by successive advances by three different, rival forces: Syrian Kurdish groups backed by the United States, the Turkey-backed rebels, and the army.

By taking Islamic State territory south of al-Bab, the army is preventing any possible move by Turkey and the rebel groups it supports to expand southwards, and is moving closer to regaining control of water supplies for Aleppo.

Fighting in the area is continuing as the army and its allies advance, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said on Sunday.

Islamic State's loss of al-Bab after weeks of bitter street fighting marks the group's effective departure from northwest Syria, once one of its most fearsome strongholds, and an area of importance because of its location on the Turkish border.

Steady advances since 2015 by the Syrian Democratic Forces, the Kurdish-led alliance of armed groups, had already pushed Islamic State from much of the frontier by the middle of last year and have since then threatened its stronghold in Raqqa.

Turkey's entry into Syria's civil war via the Euphrates Shield campaign in support of rebel groups fighting under the banner of the Free Syrian Army was intended both to push Islamic State from the border and to stop Kurdish expansion there.</s>Some 2,000 people have migrated from the regime-held village of Tadef near the northern Syrian city of al-Bab to areas controlled by Syrian opposition groups.

The Assad regime forces took control of Tadef, after the terrorist organization Daesh withdrew from the village, which is located south of al-Bab.

The people, mostly comprised of children and women, had been living under severe conditions and fled to areas controlled by Free Syrian Army (FSA) forces with only their animals and some tents.

FSA units are currently trying to provide food to the families.

Ibrahim Said, one of the residents of Tadef, said the people fled to safe areas that were controlled by the FSA, fearing regime power in the village.

“Daesh left Tadef to the Assad regime without fighting. There is an agreement between Assad and Daesh,” Said claimed.

The civil war in Syria started in 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests that began as part of the Arab Spring uprisings, with unexpected brutality and disproportionate force.

More than 600,000 people have been killed and some six million people displaced since the start of the conflict.

Turkey launched Operation Euphrates Shield on Aug. 24, 2016, declaring that it was exercising its right to self-defense codified under U.N. Charter Article 51. A National Security Council press release stated that the operation’s objectives were to maintain border security and drive Daesh terrorists away from the Turkish-Syrian border. The operation, which began last summer, relies heavily on FSA fighters backed by Turkish artillery and air support.

Since the beginning of the operation, Turkish forces and the FSA have cleared some of the main Daesh strongholds, including Dabiq, Jarablus and al-Bab, and they are likely to continue by clearing Manbij and Afrin of Democratic Union Party (PYD) terrorists, the PKK’s Syrian offshoot.</s>Syrian Army deals direct blows to terrorist groups in many areas

26/2/2017 ~ Syrian Army units, backed by the air force, destroyed Daesh (ISIS, ISIL, IS…) gatherings and positions in the surrounding of Deir Ezzor city.

The army units clashed with ISIS terrorist groups as the artillery shelled their positions and fortifications in the surrounding of al-Maqaber area in Deir Ezzor Province, killing and injuring many terrorists.

The Syrian air force destroyed an ISIS command center, fortified positions and two vehicles in the surrounding of al-Maqaber area and Juneid battalion.

Army units aided by the army air force eliminated more than 19 terrorists affiliated to Jabhat al-Nusra and other terrorist groups linked to it in the countryside of Deir Ezzor and Idleb provinces.

SANA reporter in Hama province said Sunday that the army air force targeted Jabhat al-Nusra and Jaish al-Nasser positions and movement axes in the villages of Ma’r Hurmeh and al-Jaberiyeh in the southern countryside of Idleb province.

The source added that the army airstrikes killed more than 7 terrorists and injured 13 others in addition to destroying a pick-up car.

The army air force destroyed a command center of the so-called Jaish al-Nasser, killing 8 of its members in al-Mostariha village on the southeastern countryside of Idleb.

In the northern countryside of Hama, terrorist Abdel-Qader Abdel-Karim, one of the leaders of the so-called al-Ezza gathering with two other terrorists were killed in the army operations against their command centers in al-Lattameneh town.

Another army unit destroyed a command center for the Saudi-linked Ahrar al-Sham Movement in Kafer Zeitta town, in addition to the killing of two terrorists from Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist organization in the village of al-Humairat, in addition to directing accurate blows to Jaish al-Nasser terrorists in Tal Hawash in the northern countryside of the province.

The army air force carried out intensified sorties targeting ISIS gatherings and movement axes in a number of villages and areas in the eastern countryside of Homs province.

A military source told SANA Sunday that the army air force destroyed ISIS terrorists’ machineguns-equipped vehicles and positions east of Jeb al-Jarrah, north of al-Tafha village, Rasem al-Sabaa, Rasem Hamidi Habra Gharbiyeh and Jbab Hamad in the eastern countryside of Homs Province and in al-Bardeh village in its southeastern countryside.

An army unit eliminated most members of Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist group in khazan al-Aileh, southwest of al-Yarmouk Suburb in Daraa al-Balad in Daraa southern province.

Syrian Army establishes control over 18 villages in eastern countryside of Aleppo

25/2/2017 ~ The army has established full control over 18 villages in the eastern countryside of Aleppo, after inflicting heavy losses upon ISIS in personnel and equipment.

Following fierce battles with ISIS terrorists, the army units recaptured the villages of Shanhasa, al-Shami, Rweidet al-Bab, Rasm al-Harmal, Tabbaret Madi, al-Mazboureh, Rasm al-Khabbaz, Rasm al-Sheeh, al-Manazer, Um Kharzeh, Abu Jabbar, al-Qiteh, Qassr al-Breij, al-Jadideh, Khirbet al-Mansoura, al-Mazroufa, Mistarihet Miri and Khirbet Kabbar and the strategic Fikha hill (512 m high), al-Hawara hill (495 m high) and the strategic Salim mountain in the eastern part of Aleppo province, SANA reporter said on Saturday.

The reporter said the total area liberated by the army is estimated at 500 square kilometers, noting that many ISIS terrorists, including foreigners, were killed or injured in the battles, while 8 car bombs were destroyed.

The engineering units have dismantled a large number of explosive devices and bombs planted by ISIS terrorists in the villages and agricultural land there.

Having advanced this far, the Syrian army is now in control of an area of over 600 square kilometers liberated in less than a week, according to the reporter.

The army air force carried out a series of airstrikes on the ISIS gatherings and fortifications in the surroundings of Deir Ezzor city.

SANA reporter in Deir Ezzor Province said that the army airstrikes targeted ISIS terrorist positions in the surroundings of al-Thardah Mountain, al-Panorama, al-Maqaber and al-Makabat areas and Junaid battalion, inflicting heavy losses upon the

 terrorist organization in personnel and equipment.

Meanwhile, local sources said that one of the ISIS terrorists was killed in the so-called al-Hesbah in al-bu kamal city and 4 others in al-Maiadin city.

Army units clashed with Jabhat al-Nusra terrorists who attacked al-Manshiyeh neighborhood in Daraa al-Balad from the directions of al-Masri roundabout, the western side of the city, west of the old Customs building and Tall al-Zmeitiyeh.

A military source told SANA that the clashes ended up with foiling the assault after many of the attackers were killed.

An artillery base, a vehicle equipped with a machine gun and two armored cars were destroyed as a result of the clashes.

Later, a military source said that army units repelled an infiltration attempts by Jabhat al-Nusra terrorists in the direction of military positions in al-Manshiye neighborhood in Daraa al-Balad, killing scores of terrorists.

A military source told SANA that army units destroyed two rocket-launching platforms and a car loaded with ammo for Jabhat al-Nusra and eliminated a number of terrorists in the surroundings of Talbiseh and in al-Ameriyeh village in the eastern and northern countryside of Homs province.

Syrian Army establishes control over new areas in Homs countryside, kills more terrorists in Daraa

24/2/2017 ~ Syrian Army units operating in the eastern countryside of Homs established control over new areas in the eastern part of al-Bayarat and in the direction of the strategic mountain of al-Hayal in the western countryside of Tadmur (Palmyra) city.

SANA reporter in Homs said that army units, in cooperation with supporting forces, destroyed the last gatherings of ISIS in the gas pipelines area to the east of al-Bayarat area.

To the south of al-Bayarat, army units continued their operations in the direction of the strategic mountain of al-Hayal, achieving large advance towards the western versants of the mountain, killing and injuring a number of terrorists while the rest of them fled away eastwards.

The reporter added that a number of ISIS terrorists were killed during the army’s intensive operations to the north of al-Bayarat area in which army restored control over the Aviation Towers area.

The reporter pointed out that members of the army’s engineering units dismantled, during the past few hours, hundreds of mines and explosive devices that were planted earlier by ISIS terrorists before they got killed or fled away due to the army’s strikes.

He added that heavy smoke billowed from the direction of Jazal oil field as a result of burning a number of wells and pipelines in the area by ISIS.

Army and Armed Forces units thwarted attacks launched by terrorists from Jabhat al-Nusra on al-Manshia neighborhood in Daraa al-Balad area in Daraa city, according to a military source.

The source added that army units inflicted heavy losses upon al-Nusra terrorists and destroyed a number of their vehicles and car bombs.

SANA’s correspondent said that an army unit targeted with artillery fire hideouts of al-Nusra in al-Tuloul al-Homr east of Hadar city in the northern countryside of Quneitra province, which resulted in the death of terrorist Iyad Kamal aka “Moro” who was the leader of “al-Harmon Gathering” terror group along with 3 other terrorists, in addition to destroying the terrorists’ weapons and munitions.

23/2/2017 ~ Army units working in Deir Ezzor Province, in cooperation with the supporting forces, established control on a strategic hill during their continuous operations to eradicate ISIS terrorist organization from al-Maqaber area at the southern parts of the City.

SANA reporter in Deir Ezzor said that an army unit established control on Wednesday evening on the strategic hill of Shua’ib after fierce battles with terrorists where dozens of them were either killed or injured.

Establishing control over Shua’ib hill is an important step towards breaking the siege imposed by ISIS for forty days on the Airport and the neighborhoods located to the eastern side of Deir Ezzor city where some 1300 families live.

The reporter pointed out that the Air Force of the Army carried out condensed strikes on ISIS dens last night in al-Tharda valley where a tank and a number of dens were destroyed and many of the terrorists were either killed or injured.

23 terrorists from Jabhat al-Nusra and other terrorist groups affiliated to it were

 killed or injured in the army operations against terrorists in the countryside of Hama province.

SANA reporter in Hama said Thursday that an army unit carried out precise military operation against Jabhat al-Nusra terrorists’ hideouts in Tal Hawash, about 60 km northwest of Hama city, killing 10 terrorists and injuring 7 others in addition to destroying a machinegun-equipped vehicle.

The source added that 6 other Jabhat al-Nusra terrorists were killed in an army unit operation against their hideouts in Tayybet al-Imam town, terrorist Mohammad Abdel-Karim al-Khaled, was identified among the killed.

An army unit foiled an attack of Jabhat al-Nusra terrorists with a booby-trapped car on a military post in al-Menshiyeh neighborhood in Daraa al-Balad in the southern province of Daraa, according to SANA reporter.

The reporter added that one of terrorists’ sites was destroyed and a number of them were killed or injured due to army’s strikes on the fortifications of terrorist organizations in Daraa al-Balad.

The source said that an army unit destroyed vehicles loaded with ammunition for Jabhat al-Nusra in the area surrounding Busra al-Sham hotel in the city of Busra to the east of Daraa city.

The source noted that army’s artillery destroyed a site for Jabhat al-Nusra in the area surrounding Gharz Silos in the eastern countryside of Daraa.

Earlier, SANA reporter in Daraa said that an army unit destroyed a booby-trapped car laden with huge amounts of highly explosive materials driven by a suicide bomber belonging to Jabhat al-Nusra to the south of Bilal al-Habashi Mosque before reaching a military post in the vicinity of al-Menshiyeh neighborhood in Daraa al-Balad area.

An army unit targeted sites and fortifications for Jabhat al-Nusra terrorists in Ter Maala village in the northern countryside of the central Homs province, according to a military source.

The source said two command centers and an ammunition depot were destroyed in the operations, in addition to death of a number of terrorists, including leaders and foreigners.

The source added that army units, supported by the Air Force, hit sites and convoys of ISIS terrorist organization at the “Triangle of Palmyra” site, Dhuhour Hayyal, Abu al-Fawaris plain, al-Barida, the hills of Ayed al-Hassoun and al-Ittisalat and to the east of Jeb al-Jarrah town and al-Qaryatain city in the eastern countryside of Homs.

As a result of the strikes, tens of ISIS terrorists were killed and a number of their vehicles and armored cars were destroyed.

An army unit destroyed a command center and a vehicle for ISIS terrorists in Tal Asheihib al-Janoubi in the northeastern countryside of the southern Sweida province.

Syrian Army destroys two depots containing booby-trapped cars in Hama and Idleb, eight ISIS vehicles in Deir Ezzor

21/2/2017 ~ Syrian Army units, in cooperation with backing forces, carried out military operations against the ISIS movement axes in Deir Ezzor city.

SANA reporter in the Province said that the army operation focused on ISIS gatherings and vehicles in al-Howeiqa crossing near the engineers club on the northern bank of Al-Jeser Al-moa’alaq (the suspension bridge).

The reporter added that the army operations destroyed 8 heavy machineguns-equipped vehicles in addition to killing and injuring a number of ISIS terrorists.

He said that Syrian Army Air carried out intensive raids on the gatherings and Supplying routes for ISIS terrorists in the surrounding of al-Tharda mountain, the graveyards and Bricks factories areas, Sriet Jneid and al-Arfi neighborhood, inflicting heavy losses upon the terrorists in personnel and equipment.

The reporter added that an army unit killed, in a special operation, a number of ISIS snipers who were fortified in the remaining parts of the graveyards area at the southern outskirts in Deri Ezzor.

Abu Luqman Tunsi and Abu Shaddad al-Jizrawi were among the dead terrorists, the reporter added.

According to local sources in al-Jneineh area in the northern countryside of the city, a number of residents attacked a barricade of ISIS terrorists in the area, killing the full group of the terrorists, among them its leader Abu Aisha al-Tunsi.

Army units, backed by the army air force, targeted the movement axes of Jabhat al-Nusra-linked terrorist groups in the countryside of Hama and Idleb.

On the southern countryside of Idleb Province, SANA reporter said that the army air force destroyed two depots containing weapons and booby-trapped cars in al-Telawi Farm in Khan Skaikhoun, about 70 km south of Idleb city.

The army air force carried out airstrikes on terrorists’ gathering, damaging a pick-up car and injuring 5 terrorists.

The army targeted terrorists’ gatherings and fortifications in a number of villages and towns in the northern countryside of Hama province, inflicting direct losses upon them in al-Arba’in town in addition to killing a commander in Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist organization, nicknamed Ahmad Mustafa Issa in Kafer Zeita and terrorist Khaled al-Latmin from the so-called Kataeb al-Izzah in al-Latameneh town.

The source added that the army operations destroyed a position of the so-called Jund al-Aqsa terrorist group in Mourek village, killing one terrorist and injuring others.

Meanwhile, a unit of the army destroyed, in a special operation, a vehicle for ISIS terrorists and killed all terrorists onboard in al-Salmiya town in Sweida eastern countryside.

The Syrian Army advances further near Palmyra, kills more terrorists in Deir Ezzor

20/2/2017 ~ Syrian Army units foiled an attack of ISIS terrorists on Panorama area and killed many of them in the airstrikes that targeted their positions.

SANA reporter in Deir Ezzor said that an army unit clashed with a terrorist group of ISIS organization that infiltrated towards Panorama area on the southern entrance of the city, killing or injuring many of its members while the others fled away.

He pointed out that the Air Force destroyed, in a series of strikes, positions of the terrorist organizations in the area of al-Maqaber and the neighborhoods of the Old Airport, al-Hamidia and al-Sina’a.

Units of army established control over al-Tarfa Asharkiyah village in al-Bayarat region in Homs eastern countryside and inflicted heavy losses upon ISIS terrorists in personnel and equipment.

Earlier, the army units in the eastern countryside of Homs expanded control over more space in al-Bayarat area in the western countryside of Tadmur (Palmyra).

SANA reporter in Homs clarified that army units, in cooperation with the allied and supporting forces, carried out intensive operations east of Turfeh al-Gharbiyeh village which came under the army’s control yesterday.

During the operations, the armed forces eliminated gatherings of ISIS terrorists in a 3 km area.

Having advanced this far, the army units are only 13 km away from the strategic “Palmyra Triangle”, which is a springboard for liberating the residential city of Palmyra and the ancient site from ISIS terrorists, according to the reporter.

The Syrian Army advances on al-Bayarat area west of Palmyra

To the south of al-Bayarat area, army units killed many ISIS terrorists and continued hunting down others towards the foot of the strategic al-Hayyal mountain.

Syrian Army units, in cooperation with the allied forces, restored security and stability to al-Kallabiyeh village in al-Bayarat area in the eastern countryside of Homs, a military source announced on Friday.

SANA reporter in Homs province said the army units established control over al-Kallabiyeh farms and continued advancing on al-Bayarat area, inflicting heavy losses upon ISIS terrorists.

The reporter explained that the army units, in cooperation with the allied and supporting forces, established control over al-Kallabiyeh farms and advanced 2 kilometers south of al-Bayarat are, some 20 kilometers to the west of Palmyra city.

The reporter added that the army units found weapons belonging to ISIS terrorists in al-Bayarat al-Gharbiyeh, including “Hell” cannons, a number of rifles, a sniper rifle, a 12,7mm machinegun, a PKC machine gun ammunition and RPG rounds.

The reporter noted that Air Force carried out intensive raids on positions and movements of ISIS terrorists in the direction of Palmyra city, inflicting heavy losses upon the terrorists in personnel and weaponry.

The army engineering units continued dismantling the IEDs spreading in the areas the army established control of.

The reporter also said that an army unit clashed with a ISIS group in the oil wells area, 30 km northwest of Palmyra city, killing and injuring many of the group’s members and confiscating their weapons and munitions.

Army units aided by the air force targeted movement axes of terrorist groups affiliated to Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist organization in the countryside of Hama and Idleb.

SANA reporter in Hama said Sunday that an army unit targeted the terrorists’ vehicles in kafer Zeitta town in the northern countryside of the province, destroying a car equipped with machinegun and eliminating a number of terrorists.

The reporter added that terrorist Abdel-Razzaq al-Ashahab, one of Jabhat al-Nusra leaders, killed in the army airstrikes against one of the terrorist organization’s positions in al-Tamanaa village in the southern countryside of Idleb province.

Later, popular defense groups operating in the eastern countryside of Hama killed a number of ISIS terrorists and seized 3 of their cars in an ambush in Wadi al-Azib area in the countryside of Salamiyeh.

SANA reporter in Hama said popular defense groups positioned in Athrya area ambushed an ISIS terrorist group near a dirt road in Wadi al-Azib area, leaving all members of the terrorist group dead or injured.

The reporter added that 3 cars for the terrorists were seized, noting that the terrorist group was moving from Wadi al-Azib towards al-Tinhaj village in the eastern countryside of Salamiyeh in order to support ISIS terrorists in the countryside of Tadmur (Palmyra).

An army unit targeted sites for terrorist organizations in al-Dahr al-Aswad hill to the south of Beit Saber in the western part of Damascus Countryside, according to SANA reporter.

The reporter said at least 5 terrorists were killed, in addition to the destruction of their weapons and ammunition.

The reporter confirmed the destruction of a vehicle belonging to Jabhat al-Nusra terrorists with a rocket shell fired by an army unit on one of al-Nusra gatherings near the junction of Maghr al-Mir village in the southwestern part of Damascus Countryside, in addition to the death and injury of a number of terrorists who were on board the vehicle.

War Crime Alert: a new strategic bridge destroyed in U.S.-led coalition airstrikes in Raqqa province

19/2/2017 ~ The US-led coalition that claims to be fighting ISIS terrorist organization once again hit Syrian strategic infrastructure, destroying a bridge in the eastern countryside of the northern Raqqa province.

Identical local and media sources reported Saturday that aircrafts of the coalition targeted again during the past 24 hours al-Meghle Bridge west of Maadan village, located 60 km east of Raqqa city.

The strikes caused the bridge to go out of service, the sources confirmed.

The destruction of al-Meghle Bridge, which links the two banks of the Euphrates River, has thus caused al-Jazira area completely disconnected.

This is not the only bridge that has been destroyed in airstrikes by the US-led coalition, which started in 2014 an operation to allegedly fight ISIS in Syria and Iraq.

On February 3rd, the new Raqqa Bridge and the old Raqqa Bridge in Raqqa city and the two bridges of al-kalta and al-Abbara villages were fully destroyed by coalition warplanes.

Coalition raids also demolished a bridge in the surroundings of al-Yamama village in the western countryside of Raqqa on January 18th, two weeks after other raids destroyed a bridge on Aleppo-Raqqa highway in the surroundings of al-Msheirfeh village in the same countryside of the province.

In last September and October, the coalition warplanes hit and destroyed a number of bridges on the Euphrates River and al-Khabour River.

The coalition airstrikes, which have been taking place illegally without a Security Council mandate, have claimed many civilian lives. The latest massacre committed in the course of the coalition operation took place almost two days ago in which 11 people, including two children and a woman in al-Tabqa city and Tishreen Farm in the countryside of Raqqa.

The Syrian Arab Army downs Daesh drone laden with bombs in Deir Ezzor

18/2/2017 ~ Syrian Arab Army units eliminated a number of Jabhat al-Nusra terrorists, among them self-claimed leaders in the countryside of Hama and Idleb provinces.

SANA reporter in Hama said Saturday that army units targeted Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist’s gatherings and positions in the villages of al-Habbit and Rakaya Sajneh in the southern countryside of Idleb province.

The source added that the army units killed one terrorist at least and injured 13 others, in addition to destroying two cars loaded with weapons and ammunition.

Local sources in the southern countryside of the province affirmed to SANA reporter the killing of terrorist Mustafa al-Hussein from Jabhat al-Nusra and the injury of 7 others after destroying their position in al-Jaberiyeh area and the injury of terrorist Abdel-Aziz al-Bakri, one of Jabhat al- Nusra leaders with two other terrorists after an army unit targeted their gathering in the outskirts of al-Tamanaa village.

The reporter pointed out that the army operation in the northern countryside of Hama province eliminated one of Jabhat al-Nusra leader, nicknamed Abu Omar, in the village of Atshan and destroyed a terrorist car equipped with heavy machinegun in al-Sayyad area.

An army unit downed an ISIS radio-controlled aircraft loaded with bombs over Tallet al-Rawad, southwest of Deir Ezzor city, SANA reporter said on Saturday.

On the southern outskirts of the city, the Syrian Air Force targeted gatherings of ISIS terrorists in the surroundings of al-Maqaber (graveyard) area, leaving many terrorists dead or wounded.

Meanwhile, local sources in al-Bukamal city said two ISIS terrorists, one of them is Iraqi, were killed by the terrorist organization in Souq al-Hal area in the city. This was the second time in a week and the forth in a month where ISIS liquidates some of its members in Deir Ezzor city.

Army units established full control over more than eight villages in the eastern countryside of Aleppo province after inflicting heavy losses in personnel and equipment upon ISIS terrorists.

SANA’s reporter said that army units established control over the villages of Magharet Abu Jbar, Misherfet Abu Jbar, Beijan and its strategic hill, Rasm al-Kama, Rasm al-Kabeer, Shweilekh, and the strategic Hmeimah hill in the eastern countryside of Aleppo after fierce battles with ISIS terrorists, which also resulted in inflicting heavy losses upon the terrorists in personnel and weaponry.

The reporter added that army units cleared tens of kilometers from trenches and barricades set up by the terrorists to hinder the advance of the army in the area, and that engineering units dismantled hundreds of IEDs planted by the terrorists in the villages and farmlands which the army established control over.

A military source told SANA that army units, in cooperation with supporting forces, established control over Turfa al-Gharbiya in the direction of al-Bayyarat in the eastern countryside of Homs province after eliminating a number of terrorists from ISIS and destroying their vehicles.

Daesh mercenary-terrorists pump large amounts of water to flood houses in villages/towns of east-Aleppo countryside

17/2/2017 ~ As part of their crimes against the Syrian people, ISIS terrorists pumped large amounts of the water from the Euphrates River through al-Babiri pumping station towards areas in eastern Aleppo in order to flood villages, causing damage to locals, farmlands and utilities.

The Governorate of Aleppo immediately sent a technical team, workers, and heavy vehicles to the eastern countryside of Aleppo to work on diverting the course of the water and alleviating the damage that affected locals.

In a statement to reporters during his supervision of the work conducted by the teams in the eastern countryside, Aleppo Governor Hussein Diab said that all public construction companies and concerned establishments are on alert to do everything necessary to alleviate the damage.

He pointed out that ISIS terrorists turned on a number of pumps in al-Babiri station to pump more water than the capacity of the pulling channels in order to flood the area and cause damage to locals, utilities, and irrigation equipment, all while the terrorists are cutting off water to Aleppo city.

He noted that workshops managed to resolve some blockages in the body of the main waterway in addition to remove some plugs, open some gates and close others depending on the situation and the need in coordination with the Syrian Arab Army units operating in the area.

On Wednesday, ISIS cut off water to Aleppo less than 20 hours after it was restored following an outage that lasted an entire month.

Syrian Army building barriers to stop the flooding of villages and farmland in Eastern Aleppo Countryside by Daesh mercenary-terrorists

24 people killed in new massacre committed by Turkish forces in al-Bab, Aleppo

The Turkish regime’s forces committed another massacre in the course of their continued shelling of al-Bab city in the eastern countryside of Aleppo province.

Identical local and media sources said the Artillery and Air Force of the Turkish regime shelled residential neighborhoods in al-Bab city, leaving 24 people dead.

11 children under 6 and 8 women are among the dead, according to the sources.

The attack cause huge damage to the locals’ houses and other properties and the infrastructure in the city.

On January 11, 9 people were killed and 57 others were injured in the course of the Turkish forces’ attack on al-Bab city and the towns of Baza’a and Tadef in the northeastern countryside of Aleppo.

Two other massacres were also committed by the Turkish forces on December 23 in which more than 88 civilians were killed and scores of others injured in al-Bab city.</s>Turkish-backed Syrian rebels patrol through the town of al-Bab shortly after they captured it from the Islamic State (IS) group (AFP Photo/Nazeer al-Khatib)

Al-Bab (Syria) (AFP) - An Islamic State group suicide bomber killed 51 people outside Syria's Al-Bab on Friday, in a major blow just hours after rebels seized the town from the jihadists.

In a statement distributed online, the group said its suicide bomber "drove his car bomb into the middle of a gathering of Turkish soldiers and apostates working in Susian".

At least 51 people were killed in the blast, most of them civilians, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The monitoring group said the car bomb had targeted twin command posts at a rebel base in Susian, about eight kilometres (five miles) from Al-Bab.

Rebel field commander Abu Jaafar told AFP that fighters, Turkish soldiers, and civilians had gathered at Susian for an overnight meeting "to organise a security apparatus and set a plan for rebuilding Al-Bab".

"This information reached the (IS) sleeper cells, which prepared a car bomb" that detonated at Susian at around 0800 am (0600 GMT), he told AFP.

Abu Jaafar, who was near Susian at the time of the attack, said hospitals in the area were full of wounded.

"(IS leader Abu Bakr) al-Baghdadi's dogs could not bear their huge loss, and their suicide bombers have begun to take revenge," he said.

Separately, two Turkish soldiers were killed in a suicide attack in Al-Bab on Friday as they were carrying out road checks, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said.

The strategic town, just 25 kilometres (15 miles) south of the Turkish border, was the jihadists' last stronghold in the northern Syrian province of Aleppo.

An AFP correspondent inside Al-Bab said stray cats were on the bombed-out streets Friday, sniffing at the bodies of alleged IS fighters.

Doors of shops in the town's main marketplace had been blown open by bomb blasts, and boxes of food and medicine were scattered on the ground.

A rebel scrawled the name of his battalion -- "Mutasem Brigades" -- on a wall.

In the town's south, rescuers and bulldozers were pulling bodies from under the rubble, careful not to detonate any mines left behind by IS.

Turkey sent troops into Syria last August in an operation it said targeted not only IS but also US-backed Kurdish fighters whom it regards as terrorists.

With its support, the rebels launched an offensive to take Al-Bab last year.

It has proved the bloodiest battle of Ankara's campaign accounting for most of the 71 Turkish losses so far.

On Friday the Turkish army said in a statement that "control of all neighbourhoods in Al-Bab have been secured" by opposition fighters supported by Ankara.

The town was also seen as a prize by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces, who had advanced to just 1.5 kilometres (one mile) from its outskirts in recent weeks.

The battle against IS around Al-Bab is just one front line in Aleppo province.

West of the second city, where government forces took full control in December, fighting flared with rebels in its western suburbs even as peace talks got under way in Geneva.

Exchanges of rocket and artillery fire first broke out on Wednesday, centred on the rebel-held district of Rashideen, the Observatory said.

The government responded with intensive air strikes on Thursday that killed at least 32 rebels.

A fragile ceasefire between government forces and non-jihadist rebels has been in force since late December, brokered by regime ally Russia and rebel backer Turkey.

It has led to a sharp reduction in fighting in many areas.

But parts of the country which are held by IS or its jihadist rival, former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front, are not covered by the truce.

The talks in Geneva between government and opposition representatives formally opened on Thursday.

They are the fourth round of UN-brokered negotiations, aimed at ending a conflict that has dragged on for nearly six years and claimed more than 310,000 lives.

UN envoy Staffan de Mistura said: "I'm not expecting miracles," but warned of dire consequences if the talks "fail again".
The Syrian Army recaptures the strategic town of Tadef from ISIL, south of al-Bab, securing key transportation routes in eastern Aleppo Governorate.