Syrian Army Retakes Qaryatain City in Homs, Kills over 50 Terrorists in Hama

Sunday, 3 April 2016

Syrian Army Retakes Qaryatain City in Homs, Kills over 50 Terrorists in Hama

Syrian army units and the supporting forces fully retook the al-Qaryatain city in Homs after the remaining gatherings of the so-called ‘Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant’ (ISIL) takfiri group were eliminated, a source on the ground announced on Sunday.

Seizing control over the city, which is located in southeastern Homs, came after the army units, in cooperation with allied forces, earlier advanced further inside it from various directions, removing all mines on their way, and had established control over the northern neighborhood.

The army units have hunted down fleeing ISIL terrorists inside the city and dismantled scores of explosive devices and mines left behind.

Earlier today, army units took control of al-Mazare’ and al-Kharroubi al-Kabir areas to the northwest of al-Qaraytain which are now completely secured after tens of explosive devices and mines were removed.

In the morning, the army’s air force conducted airstrikes against positions and dens of ISIL terrorists in the southern and eastern sides of al-Qarayatin and in Marmalet al-Qaryatain, leaving many terrorists dead and destroying their weapons and vehicles, some of them equipped with heavy machineguns.

In the eastern countryside of Homs province, the air force conducted launched strikes against gatherings, movements and supply routes of ISIL to the east and north of Palmyra city and to the north of al-Buseiri village, inflicting losses upon the terrorists there.

More hideouts and vehicles for ISIS terrorists were hit and destroyed in army airstrikes in the villages of al-Shindakhiyeh al-Shamaliyeh, Mannoukh and Housis.

In Hama, army units, in cooperation with the popular defense groups, foiled an attack launched by al-Nusra Front terrorists against a number of military posts in the vicinity of al-Huweijeh village in the far northwest of Hama countryside and Qassr Abu Samra in the northeastern countryside.

A military source reported that heavy clashes broke out between the defenders of the military posts and the attacking terrorist groups, which resulted in the death of at least 50 terrorists.

Three vehicles equipped with machine guns, a tank and a rocket launcher were destroyed during the confrontation, with the army units seizing the terrorists’ weapons and ammunition, including a DShK machine gun, a rocket shell launcher and amounts of RPG shells.

In Sweida, an army unit targeted a gathering of ISIS terrorists in Asheihib al-Janoubi Hill in the northeastern countryside of the southern Sweida province.

A military source said the targets were directly hit, with many terrorists getting killed or injured, while their vehicles were destroyed or damaged.

In Deir Ezzor, the army’s air force targeted assembly points of ISIL terrorists and their hideouts in al-Jafra village in the eastern countryside of the eastern Deir Ezzor province.

A number of terrorists were killed and their vehicles and equipment were destroyed.

In the meantime, local sources said the popular resistance in the eastern area killed several ISIL terrorists during the past two days, including Tunisians.

Three Tunisian terrorists were said to be killed in al-Hizam al-Akhdar area in al-Bukmal city east of Deir Ezzor.

Three other terrorists, one identified as “Abu Obaida of Tunisia” were killed in an ambush in al-Ghabra village, 130 km southeast of Deir Ezzor city.