News / Syria

Syrian army retakes control of strategic town in Hama province

Monday, 17 April 2017 4:45 AM [ Last Update: Monday, 17 April 2017 10:25 AM ]

Members of the Syrian government forces march near the town of Qumhanah in the countryside of the province of Hama, on April 1, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

Syrian government forces and their allies in the fight against foreign-backed militants have seized back a strategic town near the city of Hama in west-central Syria, militants and residents say.

The Syrian army stormed Suran on Sunday following a series of airstrikes, forcing most of the Takfiri terrorists to retreat from the town.

According to the report, the so-called parachute bombs were used in the attack on the terrorists’ positions in the town as well as other towns in the area, including Latamneh and Kafr Zeita.

"There was hysterical bombing that targeted the town and the whole area and rebels fought fierce battles until they were forced to pull out," said one militant, a member of the Jaish al-Izza terrorist group, which has a strong presence in Hama province.

Suran is strategically important as it is the army's northern gateway to the city of Hama, the provincial capital. The Syrian troops had captured the town last year, but they later lost control over it in a militant offensive.

The army's advance into Suran rolls back most of the territorial gains made by terrorists after a major offensive last month in northern Hama province in the center of the populated west of the country.

According to the report, the foreign-backed Takfiri militants fired dozens of rockets on the nearby Hama military airport.

Jaish al-Nasr, a militant group affiliated with the so-called Free Syrian Army, said it had targeted the airport with forty missiles, causing several fires in the compound of the air base.

The Damascus government has not confirmed the claims so far.

Amateur video posted online on Sunday purportedly showed terrorists’ positions in Dara'a and Hama countryside being hit by airstrikes. The footage appeared to show large clouds of smoke rising above buildings after the air raids.

Since March 2011, Syria has been gripped by militancy it blames on some Western states and their regional allies.

The Takfiri terrorists operating in the Arab country have suffered major setbacks over the past few months as the army has managed to liberate a number of areas from their grip.

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