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157 Takfiri terrorists turn themselves in to Syrian forces

Thursday, 31 December 2015 9:52 AM [ Last Update: Thursday, 31 December 2015 9:55 AM ]

In this file photo, foreign-backed militants gather along a road in Syria’s eastern city of Deir ez-Zor. (Photo by AFP)

At least 157 Takfiri militants have surrendered to Syrian government forces as army units backed by allied popular defense groups continue to gain ground in nationwide battles against extremists.

As many as 117 terrorists laid down arms and turned themselves in to Syrian authorities in the western city of Homs on Wednesday, Syria’s official news agency SANA said.

Another 40 Takfiris surrendered in the capital as well as the west-central city of Hama, it added.

Hundreds of gunmen have been laying down their weapons and turning themselves in to state authorities across Syria in recent weeks as army advances is gathering momentum.

Syrian army soldiers patrol Deir Hafer, a former bastion of Daesh, near Aleppo, December 2, 2015. (Photo by AFP)

Syrian army forces have recaptured a number of regions, cutting off many of the supply routes used by foreign-backed militants.

On Wednesday, the Syrian army continued advances in Shaykh Maskin in the Dara’a province, and bomb disposal units started clearing the town of explosive devices planted by terrorists.

Syrian troops also killed or injured scores of extremists during intense fighting in the town, and destroyed a number of rocket launch sites. They also targeted two vehicles transporting militants on a road between Shaykh Maskin and Ibta’a, killing nearly a dozen terrorists.

A military source said Takfiri militants have fled Shaykh Maskin to the nearby town of Nawa.

Syrian army soldiers patrol Deir Hafer, a former Daesh bastion, near Aleppo on December 2, 2015. (© AFP)

Meanwhile, Kurdish fighters engaged in heavy clashes with members of the al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra Front in the Afrin district of the Aleppo province.

Additionally, a number of Daesh terrorists were killed or injured in clashes with Syrian army forces in the city of Deir ez-Zor, located 450 kilometers (280 miles) northeast of the capital.

The conflict in Syria, which flared in March 2011, has claimed the lives of more than 250,000 people and left over one million injured, according to the United Nations.

The world body says 12.2 million people, including more than 5.6 million children, remain in need of humanitarian assistance in Syria. The foreign-sponsored militancy has also displaced 7.6 million people.

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