Syrian troops seize hilltop village, nearby town

(29 Jul 2019) Syrian troops scored advances on the ground in northern Syria on Monday, seizing a hilltop village and a nearby town from insurgents in the first breakthrough for President Bashar Assad's forces following weeks of intensive air and artillery bombardment.

Syria's Central Military Media said troops captured the Tal Malah village and the nearby town of Jibeen on Monday after fierce confrontations with militants entrenched in the area.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported the advances, saying the troops were able to seize the territory after militant groups withdrew, following intense air and ground shelling.

The area has been repeatedly targeted over the past days as Syria's government looks to regain momentum in its stalled offensive in Idlib province, which along with the surrounding rural areas of Hama province, is the last opposition-controlled stronghold in Syria.

The area has changed hands several times in the past weeks in the offensive.

Over the last three years, the government regained control of most of the territories that were initially seized by the opposition in the early days of the civil conflict - now in its 9th year.

Those military victories, backed by Russian airpower and Iranian-backed militias on the ground, followed intense military campaigns and tight sieges that forced rebels to surrender and move north.

The Idlib region is dominated by al-Qaida-linked militants and other jihadi groups and is home to an estimated three million people, many of them displaced by other bouts of violence in other areas.

At least 450 civilians have been confirmed killed in the since the offensive began in April 30, including more than 100 in the last 10 days alone, according to the UN human rights chief.

More than 440,000 have been displaced inside the crowded enclave to escape the airstrikes.



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