Syrian army advance further toward IS de facto capital

The Syrian army on Saturday captured parts of the road connecting the country's northern province of Aleppo with al-Raqqa, the self-declared capital of the Islamic State (IS) group, according to Syria's state-run TV.

The Syrian forces fully secured the road in the areas of al-Ma'amel, through Aleppo's Thermal Station, and the airbase of Kweris in the eastern countryside of Aleppo, according to the report.

The progress is the latest achievement of the Syrian forces backed by the Lebanese Hezbollah group in Aleppo, as reports said that the Syrian troops are closing in on al-Raqqa.

Less than a week ago, the oppositional Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the Syrian army was preparing to advance toward al-Raqqa.

The UK-based watchdog group said the Syrian army are a few kilometers away from the provincial borders of al-Raqqa, following the rapid progress it has recently achieved on the desert high way near the town of Athraya.

Advancing toward al-Raqqa will grant the Syrian army a foothold in that city for the first time since the IS terror group captured the al-Tabaqa airbase in 2014, the last government stronghold in the city.

The progress reflected the declared goal of the Syrian administration to keep striking the militant groups, following the failure of the first round of the talks in Geneva earlier this week between the Syrian government and the oppositions. Endit