Syrian army makes gains around Damascus

The Syrian army has made fresh gains in its fight against the foreign-backed militants around the capital Damascus, Press TV reports.

The army advanced in the Damascus suburb of Jobar, inflicting heavy losses on the militants. They also managed to capture several buildings in the area, which were used as positions by the extremist terrorists.

The troops, furthermore, gained more ground in the northeast, east and south of al-Ghouta, squashing several militant hideouts in the area.

“The Syrian army and National Defense Forces were able to significantly inflict heavy losses on militants on several roads of eastern al-Ghouta. They lost ground and are calling for help. We cut many of their supply lines and they are running away from their positions,” a commander of the Syrian National Defense Forces told Press TV.

The Syrian military has also been engaged in battling against the militants in the town of al-Dukhaniya near the capital. Some parts of the town are held by the Takfiri terrorists, but they are besieged by the government troops from the east, west and south with warplanes pounding their positions.

Meanwhile, the army launched a surprise attack on the foreign-sponsored militants in the town of Adra Al-Balad, laying siege to the terrorists inside the town.

Syria has been gripped by deadly violence since 2011.

The Western powers and their regional allies — especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey — are reportedly supporting the militants operating inside Syria.

More than 191,000 people have been killed in the over three years of fighting in the war-ravaged country, says the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), calling the figure a probable “underestimate of the real total number of people killed.”