Syrian Army Captures Strategic Town in Daraa Province from Terrorists
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - The Syrian army captured a key southern town from militants after weeks of fierce fighting, a Britain-based group close to Syria's foreign-backed militants said.
The fall of Sheikh Maskin on Monday means Syrian forces will strengthen their hold on Daraa province, while cutting off terrorist factions from key supply lines.
Daraa, the scene of the earliest unrest in 2011, contains routes crucial to both the Syrian army and militants.
"The town is very important for both sides. They have both fought fiercely. Now by taking it, the government has cut off the rebels links between eastern and western Daraa," said Rami Abdulrahman, head of the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which tracks violence in the country through a wide network of local sources.
"The destruction in the town is huge."
The organization said fighting involved government troops backed by allied forces, as well as air support from Russian fighter jets, Al Jazeera reported on Tuesday.
Juan Cole, a Middle East analyst at the University of Michigan, told Al Jazeera the recent gains by government forces in Syria's south were significant, considering terrorists once controlled about 70 percent of Daraa province.
Cole also underscored Russia's role in the advance.
"Largely because of Russian air intervention the rebels are being scattered. Things have just turned around 180 degrees for the regime since the Russians came in… Now there is a significant reversal that will affect the rebels' logistics," said Cole.
A Syrian government advance on Daraa began late in December and Sheikh Maskin's fall comes amid international efforts to bring opposing factions to the negotiating table.
On Monday, the UN special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, said peace talks originally slated to start on Monday would be pushed back to Friday.
