Tabnak – As various domestic and international forces continue their operations against ISIS in different parts of Syria, the Syrian army has been able to gain new achievements against the terrorists. Meanwhile, in the political front, the date of a new round of Astana talks has been set for mid-September.
Syria’s official news agency, SANA, reported on Tuesday that a large number of ISIS terrorists were killed and injured when Syrian army units and their allies engaged in heavy clashes with them in Jani Elelbawi village of the western-central province of Hama late last night.
Syrian army troops and their allies also established complete control over the strategic al-Mahsa Hill near the village, killing and injuring scores of terrorists. Government forces and volunteer fighters then combed the area for hidden ordinance and improvised explosive devices, which ISIS militants had planted there.
In the meantime, a military source said that gaining control over al-Mohasa hill is a giant stride toward liberating Jana al-Bawi and then moving toward Aqayrabat, the main stronghold of ISIS in Eastern Hama.
Earlier reports said that the army men stormed the remaining positions of ISIS in Aqayrabat region from five different flanks and managed to capture more positions, tightening the circle of forces around terrorist-held areas.
Elsewhere in the country, a military source said earlier today that the army men managed to advance against ISIS terrorists in Homs' Badiyeh region and entered Southern border territories of Deir Ezzur with Eastern Homs.
The source said that the army forces have gained full control over Humeimeh region and entered the Southern borders of Deir Ezzur, adding that the recent advance will pave the way for the pro-government forces to move towards the town of Albu Kamal in Southeastern Deir Ezzur.
The source further said that the Southern part of Homs' Badiyeh is considered as the first and the main operational flank of the army towards Deir Ezzur, adding that the second flank stretches from the Southern part of Raqqa province and the third own is al-Sukhnah region in Eastern Homs and Eastern territories of Hama province.
Meanwhile at the political front, the Kazakh Foreign Ministry says that the next round of Syria peace talks in Kazakhstan’s capital city of Astana may be held in mid-September.
In a Tuesday Facebook post, the ministry said the timing of the talks would be set at a meeting in late August between experts from Russia, Turkey and Iran and "provisionally, we could be talking about mid-September.”
Astana has hosted five rounds of peace talks for Syria since January. Russia, Iran, and Turkey serve as guarantor states in the peace process. The negotiations are aimed at bringing an end to the foreign-backed militancy in Syria, which began in March 2011. The Astana talks have so far resulted in an agreement on four de-escalation zones across Syria.
