Syrian Forces Preparing for Major Offensive in West Aleppo Suburbs
DAMASCUS (Tasnim) – Syria’s army and their allies are preparing to launch a large-scale operation to fully clear western suburban areas of the northwestern city of Aleppo from the grip of Takfiri terrorists.
According to Tasnim dispatches, Syrian troops are gearing up to move toward al-Rashideen, Zahra Abdo Rabbah and Khan al-Asal in western Aleppo as part of a major operation to wipe out last pockets of terrorists in the areas.
Earlier, the army set a deadline for the foreign-backed militants to pull out from al-Rashideen 4 district, the report added.
Meanwhile, Syrian bomb experts on Sunday managed to discover a vehicle rigged with two tons of explosives left behind by terrorist groups in eastern Aleppo.
Moreover, Syrian forces discovered as many as 21 bodies belonging to civilians executed in jails by Takfiri militants in Aleppo before their withdrawal from eastern areas of the recently-liberated northwestern city.
“The bodies of martyrs were found inside prisons belonging to terrorist groups in al-Sukkari and al-Kallaseh neighborhoods…Upon close examination, the civilians were found to have been shot at from a very close range,” Director of Aleppo Forensics Dr. Zaher Hajo said.
The bodies were discovered amid clean-up operations by the army and their allies in the city.
In a statement on Thursday, Syria’s General Command of the Army and Armed Forces said the Arab country’s forces have returned security and stability to Aleppo.
The return of security to the city is a strategic development and a milestone in the fight against terrorist groups and their supporters, the statement added.
The Syrian security forces encircled Aleppo on July 17 after closing off the last terrorist-controlled route into the city.
Syria has been gripped by civil war since March 2011 with various terrorist groups, including Daesh (also known as ISIS or ISIL), currently controlling parts of it.
According to a report by the Syrian Center for Policy Research, the conflict has claimed the lives of over 470,000 people, injured 1.9 million others, and displaced nearly half of the country’s pre-war population of about 23 million within or beyond its borders.
