The
Syrian Army and the country's National Defense Forces (NDF) in Homs
province in central Syria, prompting jihadists to retreat,
the Iranian news agency FARS reported.
FARS quoted military sources as saying that the Syrian troops attacked
Daesh forces in the
territories between the recently-liberated cities of Quaryatayn and
Palmyra and along the strategically important Palmyra-Raqqa highway,
in an assault that lefty dozens of terrorists dead and many more
wounded.
"A number of hilltops have been recaptured
in the Bardeh Mountains and the government forces have started
to fortify their positions in the newly-captured lands," the sources
said.
©
Sputnik/ Andrey Stenin
Sappers of the Syrian government forces. File photo
The new attacks came shortly after reports that the Syrian Army and
the NDF have considerably advanced against Daesh terrorists in the
eastern part of Homs province, restoring security to more regions
near Palmyra and deploying their troops near part of Homs Province which
is considered the most energy-rich region in the country. Quaryatayn,
to the west of Palmyra, was liberated earlier this month; in August,
2015 Daesh terrorists captured the town, abducted 320 of its citizens
including 60 Christians, and destroyed a 1,500 year-old Christian
monastery.
According to the sources, "the Syrian government forces pushed the
ISIL terrorists back from a long chunk of Palmyra-Raqqa the highway and
have positioned their forces around the Arak oilfields."
"The rapid advances of the Syrian Army and
popular forces against Daesh in the eastern part of Homs province will
end the terrorist group's rule over the oil and gas fields," the sources
added.
©
Sputnik/ Mikhail Voskresenskiy
Syria has been mired in a civil war since 2011, with forces loyal to the country's
President Bashar Assad
fighting a number of opposition factions and extremist groups,
including Daesh and the Al-Nusra Front, which have been blacklisted
as terrorist organizations by many countries, including Russia.
In February 2015, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted
Resolution 2268, endorsing a Russia-US agreement on the cessation
of hostilities in Syria; the ceasefire came into force shortly
thereafter, on February 27, and fighting throughout much of the country
subsided. However, Daesh and the Al-Nusra Front were not included in the
truce.
Between September 30, 2015 and March 14, 2016, the Syrian Army's
anti-terror efforts were backed by an extensive Russian air campaign.
During that period, more than fifty Russian warplanes, including Su-24M,
Su-25 and Su-34 jets, conducted precision airstrikes on Daesh and
Al-Nusra targets in Syria at the behest of President Assad.
©
Sputnik/ Mikhail Voskresenskiy
However, on March 14
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced
that the Russian Aerospace Forces unit had fulfilled its mission
in Syria and that its withdrawal would begin the following day.
Nonetheless, Russian air power was used by Assad's forces in the
liberation of the ancient city of Palmyra.
Moscow will maintain a military presence in Syria, although a
deadline for a complete pullout has not yet been announced. Putin also
indicated that Russian forces will remain at the port of Tartus and
Hmeymim Airbase.
