Residents of Syria’s Kessab returning home after liberation

Residents of a strategic town in the Syrian province of Latakia have begun returning home, a day after the country’s army retook the area from militants.
According to Syrian media on Monday, security has been restored in the Syrian town of Kessab after it was cleared of militants fighting against the government of President Bashar al-Assad.
“We came back today because we heard the army had liberated” the town, a Kessab resident said, adding that “There’s damage, destruction, there are some upsetting things, but we’re happy we were able to come back after a short time….”
On Saturday, Takfiri militants, mostly from the al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front, fled Kessab after Syrian army retook control of the town.
“We thank God. May God protect our army and everyone who is holding a gun in defence of the country,” another resident of Kessab said.
The town, which has been under siege by the foreign-backed militants for more than two months, is strategically important due to its vicinity to Syria’s only border crossing with Turkey.
Over the past months, Syrian army has achieved major victories in its battle against Takfiri groups across the Arab country, particularly in the western region of Qalamoun near the Lebanese border.
Syria has been gripped by deadly violence since March 2011. Over 160,000 people have reportedly been killed and millions displaced due to the violence fueled by the foreign-backed militants.
According to reports, the Western powers and their regional allies — especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey — are supporting the militants operating inside Syria.