Syrian army advances in Latakian countryside

The Syrian army advanced towards key hilltops surrounding a strategic town in the northwestern province of Latakia along the Syrian coast on Tuesday, a monitor group reported.

Syrian ground troops and allied fighters advanced towards the hilltops stretching from the western to the southeastern part of the key town of Kabani, the last stronghold of the al-Qaida-linked al-Nusra Front in Latakia's countryside, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Intense battles are still ongoing in those key areas, coupled with air strikes against militant posts there, said the Observatory.

It added that the Syrian army has been attempting to recapture these towns for months due to their strategic importance.

Meanwhile, a military source told Xinhua that the Syrian army is advancing in Kabani under Russian air cover, adding that the troops made significant progress on several fronts there.

Kabani's importance is due to its location, as it includes the gate to the Jisr al-Shughour area in the countryside of the province of Idlib, the main stronghold of the al-Nusra Front.

The Syrian army is monitoring the town and will continue its offensive until it fully captures it, the military source said.

Recapturing Kabani will deprive the al-Nusra militants from a key supply route via neighboring Turkey through Latakia's countryside into Idlib, purportedly the Syrian army's next target after fully capturing Kabani.

Military experts said recapturing Kabani will be difficult as hundreds of suicide bombers belonging to the Turkstan Islamic Party supported by Turkey dwell inside.

Kabani was the militants' destination who fled the key towns of Salma and Kinsabba, recently recaptured by the army.

A military officer said the battle for recapturing Kabani was revived when the al-Nusra militants attempted to attack several military posts in Latakia's countryside whilst military sources confirmed that the al-Nusra attacks were all foiled.

The ground escalation mirrors the tense atmosphere among the Syrian delegates to the Geneva peace talks regarding Syria's crisis.

Opposition representatives at the Geneva talks are calling for suspension of the talks, citing insufficient progress.

A day earlier, several jihadi groups announced a widescale offensive against government posts in Latakia and Hama, after the head of the opposition delegation to Geneva, Muhammad Alloush, urged the rebels to attack government troops in Syria, in what he determined was a breach of the cease-fire by the government forces.

A U.S.-Russia sponsored truce went into effect in Syria last February, pausing the fighting in several hotspots nationwide.

However, sporadic breaches were reported from both sides, and insufficient progress in Geneva threatens to destroy the deal and return to ground zero. Endit