Syrian army captures southern part of IS-held areas south of Damascus

DAMASCUS, May 5 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian army on Saturday captured the southern part of the Hajar al-Aswad area south of the capital Damascus, the state TV reported.

The military forces of the Syrian army captured the area just a couple of days after splitting the neighborhood in half as part of a military offensive that started last month.

The report said the Syrian forces are advancing in the battle in the area from several directions.

The military offensive has shifted to southern Damascus, mainly the IS-held areas of Hajar al-Aswad and the adjacent Yarmouk Camp after the Syrian army secured the Eastern Ghouta countryside of Damascus and the eastern part of Qalamoun region in the northern countryside of the capital.

Rebels in eastern and northern Syria were evacuated to rebel-held areas in northern Syria last month.

IS has lost its major stronghold late last year, with the Syrian army capturing the Deir al-Zour city in eastern Syria as well as large swaths of the Syrian desert near the Iraqi border. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces also stripped IS of its de facto capital of Raqqa in northern Syria. Enditem