Syrian army captures new town amid sweeping victories
Xinhua, October 12, 2016 Adjust font size:
The Syrian army captured a new town in the central province of Hama on Tuesday, as part of a series of victories the army recently scored, taking advantage of a rebel-on-rebel fight, local media said.
The Syrian forces recaptured the town of Kokab and advanced toward other towns in the northern countryside of Hama, according to the state news agency SANA.
The Syrian army captured some 15 villages and areas in northern Hama recently, as part of the government forces' offensive against the rebel groups there.
The subsequent successes of the Syrian army have taken advantage of the infighting between two major rebel groups in northern Hama, namely the Ahrar al-Sham and Jun al-Aqsa, which has recently pledged allegiance to the Jabhat Fateh al-Sham group, previously known as the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front.
Tension between Jund al-Aqsa and Ahrar al-Sham has recently sparked after the Jund al-Aqsa militants kidnapped members of Ahrar al-Sham in the city of Saraqeb in the northwestern city of Idlib.
The Turkey-backed Ahrar al-Sham accused the Jund al-Aqsa of being a subordinate to the Islamic State (IS) group.
Jund al-Aqsa said it had joined force with Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, due to its high power level among other rebel groups.
It also urged the Fateh al-Sham to open a new front against the Syrian army in Hama to recapture all of the areas that have recently fallen to the army, as a result of the rebel infighting.
The northern countryside of Hama has returned under the spotlight after the rebels carried out repetitive attacks on government positions in that area.
The rebels carried out such attacks, as part of their effort to get the army busy with more than one front to reduce the pressure on rebels in other parts of northern Syria.
Recent reports said the rebels in the northern province of Aleppo are reeling under fresh pressure by the Syrian army, which has closed the routes to the besieged rebel-held areas in the eastern part of Aleppo city, and urged the rebels to surrender. Endit