|
The recapture
from rebels of Ataman, around 3 km (2 miles) north of Deraa,
came a day after dozens of air strikes believed to be carried
out by Russian warplanes targeted the area, the Britain-based
Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Since Russia's intervention on its side in September, Damascus
and its allies have pressed assaults throughout the west of the
country, including Aleppo in the north, the coastal province
Latakia and in Deraa, which lies south of Damascus and near the
Jordanian border.
The Syrian army and its allies, which include Lebanese group
Hezbollah, have in recent days made significant advances against
insurgents in Aleppo province. The Russian-backed assaults have
helped derail peace talks in Geneva.
A recent government gain in Deraa province was the recapture of
the strategic town of Sheikh Maskin on Jan. 26, which secured
army supply routes from the capital to the south.
Control of Ataman, considered the northern gateway to Deraa,
would allow the army to reassert control over most parts of the
city. The old quarter of the city, adjoining the Jordanian
border, is still under rebel control.
The move also allows the army to expand its control in
rebel-held areas in the eastern countryside of Deraa, where most
towns have been in insurgent hands for two to three years, and
could provide a more direct supply line to Deraa city.
A spokesman for Liwa al-Mutaz, the main rebel group in Ataman,
said there had been heavy shelling of the area.
"It is the first time this happens with every weapon,
(including) artillery and barrel bombs, aided by intensive
Russian bombing," he said.
The spokesman did not confirm Ataman's fall, saying that heavy
fighting continued.
Syrian state television said its armed forces and allies had
"returned security and stability to the town of Ataman," without
elaborating.
(Reporting by John Davison and Suleiman Al-Khalidi in Amman;
Editing by Tom Heneghan)
[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
|
