Syrian government troops have retaken a strategic town east of the capital, Damascus, from foreign-backed militants, blocking one of their supply routes.
Government troops, backed by allied forces, on Saturday took control of Maydaa, following two weeks of fierce clashes with the so-called Jaysh al-Islam terror group, according to the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Maydaa served as a supply line to the militant-held East Ghouta region on the outskirts of Damascus, and was the closest area to Zamir airbase, which foreign-backed terrorists hold east of Damascus.
The victory is the latest in a series of gains by the Syrian army against terrorists.
On Thursday, government forces cut the only way into militant-held parts of Aleppo, severing the terrorists’ only lifeline from the city to the outside world.
The capture of the Castello Road came following recent advances by the Syrian army in the Malah Farms area northwest of Aleppo.
The seizure of Malah Farms and Castello Road would enable Syrian forces to surround militant-held neighborhoods of Aleppo and puts them within the firing range of the army.
Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011.
The UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura estimates that over 400,000 people have been killed in the conflict. The UN has stopped its official casualty count in Syria, citing its inability to verify the figures it receives from various sources.