Off the wire
• Pakistani forces capture top Taliban commander in North Waziristan  • Trump books a final clash with Walden at World Snooker China Open  • Russia deeply concerned with Azerbaijan-Armenia border conflict, urging de-escalation  • (Sports) FIG Acrobatic Gymnastics World Championships results (updated with correction)  • UAE's Masdar City develops prototype eco-villa  • Sudanese president declares plan to collect arms from citizens in Darfur  • FIG Acrobatic Gymnastics World Championships results  • Roundup: Italy now world's top wine producer, experts see room for more growth  • Zimbabwe minister says foreign banks "safe" from closure over indiginization  • Roundup: Greece reacts to Wikileaks allegations over IMF threat with Greek default in 2016  
You are here: 　 Home

Syrian army storms key IS-held city near Palmyra

Xinhua, April 2, 2016 Adjust font size:

The Syrian army backed by Russian warplanes unleashed on Saturday a wide-scale offensive on a key city controlled by the Islamic State (IS) group near the recently-captured ancient city of Palmyra, a military source told Xinhua.

The Syrian ground forces succeeded to break through the IS defenses in the western part of the predominantly-Christian city of Qaryatain, the military source said on condition of anonymity.

The Russian warplanes are playing significant role in the battle for the recapture of Qaryatain, the source added.

The military campaign for retaking Qaryatain came less than a week after the Syrian army captured the ancient city of Palmyra, which had been held also by the IS.

Meanwhile, the state news agency SANA said the Syrian army and allied forces carried out "intensive attacks" against the IS positions in the city of Qaryatain, which resulted in the military recapture of several key areas in that city's surroundings, mainly in its western parts.

Citing a military source, SANA said the Syrian bomb squads also worked on dismantling booby-traps the IS terror militants had planted to thwart the progress of the Syrian forces toward that city.

Qaryatain is the last stronghold of the IS near the mountainous region of Qalamoun, north of Damascus and close to the Lebanese borders.

The IS militants who withdrew from Palmyra have holed up in Qaryatain, which is 85 kilometers southeast of Homs.

The city has a strategic importance due to its proximity to the Syrian city of Qara, which is a stronghold of the Hezbollah Shiite group, which is fighting alongside the Syrian army on key battlefields in Syria. Endit