Syria forces enter Douma after missile strikes
Syrian forces have entered the Eastern Ghouta town of Douma for clean-up operations days after they fully retook the entire suburban area near Damascus from foreign-backed militants.
The mop-up operation by the Syrian internal security began on Saturday and will be completed in hours, according to the state media.
The town was the last stronghold held by foreign-backed militants in Eastern Ghouta, which for years served as a launch pad for deadly terror attacks against civilians in Damascus.
The so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitor, said the forces entered Douma after the final convoy of Jaish al-Islam militants left under an evacuation deal they had earlier reached with the government.
Eastern Ghouta had been the focus of a Syrian army push, backed by the Russian air force, since February 19. Douma and the entire Eastern Douma were declared free on Thursday.
The latest operation in Douma comes hours after the US, the UK and France launched a barrage of missile attacks in response to what they claim to be a chemical attack in the town by Damascus on April 7.
Syria has no chemical arsenal and has rejected any role in the suspected gas attack.
Syrian air defenses, however, responded firmly, shooting down most of the missiles fired at the country.
The situation in Damascus and other towns and cities in Syria is calm now.
Russia, Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which have been assisting the Syrian army in its anti-terror battles, have sharply condemned the attacks.
