“In total, including Homs and its Western suburb, we are talking about 10,000 people who have laid down arms over the past two years,” Ali Haidar said, RIA Novosti reported. Up to 6,000 former fighters have returned to civilian life in the Damascus suburb in the past six months, according to Haidar.
He named Homs, the third-largest city in Syria, as the most striking example of a successful local ceasefire, where 1,500 former militants gave up their weapons in 2013. Two weeks ago, 700 militants were said to have laid down their arms in the village of Daraa in Southwest Syria.
The government offers Syrian citizens to lay down arms and go through a rehabilitation process to return to normal life as part of the national reconciliation program.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WX8cgmHOVBI
“Half of the city remains in the hands of the terrorists, while the other half is under our control… Our troops, backed by Russian aviation, are encircling the city and preparing for a ground offensive. This is going to be a heavy fight because the terrorists are getting a lot of support from (Turkish President Recep Tayyip) Erdogan,” Haddad said in an interview with Gazeta.Ru, RIA Novosti reported.
The ambassador also said that Russian airstrikes had brought immediate results destroying many enemy strongholds and arms depots, and cutting off the terrorists’ supply routes.
“Another major result (of the Russian airstrikes) is that many terrorists have laid down their arms and surrendered to the Syrian army, while many others retreated towards the Turkish border,” the Syrian envoy added.
Riyad Haddad emphasized that the Syrian authorities were closely coordinating their actions with Russia, but maintained no contact with the command of the US-led coalition.
‘King of US TOW Antitank Missiles’ Killed in Russian Airstrikes in Lattakia Province
TEHRAN (FNA) – The Russian fighter jets’ continued operations against the terrorist positions across the coastal province of Lattakia left at least 40 militants dead, including Basel Zimmo (Abu Hamza) a senior commander known as the King of US TOW antitank missiles.
The Russian warplanes, on Monday midnight and early hours of Tuesday, targeted the hideout of the militant commanders in Jabal al-Akrad area by several missiles, in which at least 40 terrorists were killed and many others were injured.
Abu Hamza, a defected captain and Chief of Staff of Coastal Division, was trained by the US forces in Turkey to operate the US-made antitank missiles against the government forces in Syria. Zimmo targeted many army tanks in Syria by TOW missiles and trained many militants to work with the TOW missiles.
On Sunday, the Syrian fighter jets bombed several headquarters, concentration centers, and vehicles of the terrorists in Qaraqfi mountain, North of Salma, Marj Khokha and Tertiah in the Northern countryside of Lattakia. Scores of terrorists were killed in the air raids. A number of the militants’ hideouts and machinegun-equipped vehicles were also destroyed.
The army, backed by the popular defense groups, conducted operations against terrorists’ positions to the East of al-Safeira, Tal Alam, Tal al-Sous, al-Amara and Deir Hafer, killing a large group of terrorists and destroying their vehicles.
The Syrian army also left all members of a terrorist group dead or injured in al-Mansoura village to the West of Aleppo city. Meanwhile, a number of vehicles belonged to al-Nusra Front terrorists were destroyed in Tal Rifaat and Maarata in Northern Aleppo.
The Syrian forces also targeted al-Nusra terrorists’ concentration centers in al-Ameriyeh, al-Rashidin and Karm al-Jabal neighborhoods in Aleppo city, inflicting heavy losses on the Takfiris.
The sources said that the militant groups left scores of killed and wounded bodies in al-Rastan, al-Rusafa and Handarat fighting areas and pushed back the remaining of their forces.
On Monday, the Syrian fighter jets’ continued attacks on the terrorist positions across the Central Homs province resulted in the destruction of the militants’ infrastructure and large casualties.
The army said that the country’s air force targeted the ISIL militants’ gathering centers in al-Bilaas area and al-Tafha village in the Eastern territories of Homs province, and killed a large number of militants, destroying their military equipment.
On Monday, a large ammunition depot of the ISIL terrorist group was destroyed in the Syrian Army’s offensive on militant positions near al-Husseiniya village in the Eastern province of Deir Ezzur.
The Syrian army troops stormed the ISIL positions near al-Husseiniya village and destroyed a depot of munitions and weapons. Local officials informed about heavy death toll of the ISIL group after continued explosions of the depot’s ammunition.
The sources said that the Syrian soldiers stormed the terrorist hideouts in the surroundings of Darayya and killed over 15, wounding several more.
On Saturday, the Syrian army troops regained control over several strategic areas in Damascus countryside. The Syrian forces retook all the hills oversee Douma and Harasta from the foreign-backed Takfiri militants.
The army also won back 25 buildings in Harasta, and a number of blocks in Jobar.
The sources said that the militant groups’ positions came under the joint-attack of the Syrian and Russian air forces in Tier Malla, leaving scores of the terrorists killed or wounded.
On Monday, the Syrian fighter jets’ continued attacks on the terrorist positions across the Central Homs province resulted in the destruction of the militants’ infrastructure and large casualties.
The army said that the country’s air force targeted the ISIL militants’ gathering centers in al-Bilaas area and al-Tafha village in the Eastern territories of Homs province, and killed a large number of militants, destroying their military equipment.
The sources said that the army attack on the Ceramic Factory in al-Mrei’iyeh village killed several terrorists.
In the meantime, a long convoy of the ISIL armored vehicles was stormed by the army soldiers in the nearby areas of the village of Ayyash, Huweijeh, al-Mrei’iyeh, al-Jafra & the surroundings of Deir Ezzur military airport, which resulted in destruction of most of the vehicles.
Also, heavy clashes erupted between the Syrian soldiers and the ISIL members in al-Sheikh Yassin in the Eastern flank of Deir Ezzur city, leaving tens of militants killed, their military equipment destroyed.
On Monday, a large ammunition depot of the ISIL terrorist group was destroyed in the Syrian Army’s offensive on militant positions near al-Husseiniya village in the Eastern province of Deir Ezzur. The Syrian army troops stormed the ISIL positions near al-Husseiniya village and destroyed a depot of munitions and weapons.
Local officials informed about heavy death toll of the ISIL group after continued explosions of the depot’s ammunition.
The source said that the militants have failed the clashes in Kahan Touman and al-Khalidiyah due to massive joint-operation of the Syrian army and Hezbollah fighters, in which dozens of terrorists have been killed or wounded.
On Monday, the Syrian and Russian air forces in joint military operations destroyed the positions of Takfiri terrorists in the countryside of Aleppo in Northern Syria. The Syrian and Russian warplanes pounded the positions of the militants in Al-Safira in Aleppo countryside.
The Syrian army said that its forces stormed Kafer Kar area and killed nearly 20 militants, in the meantime, the militants’ military equipment and ammunition depot were destroyed in a separate operation in al-Mashhad area near Aleppo.
On Monday, the Syrian and Russian air forces in joint military operations destroyed the positions of Takfiri terrorists in the countryside of Aleppo in Northern Syria.
The Syrian and Russian warplanes pounded the positions of the militants in Al-Safira in Aleppo countryside.
On Monday, clashes also erupted between the terrorists organizations due to the increased withdrawals of some of the Takfiri groups from al-Ghab plain in Hama countryside, leaving at least 7 militants dead.
The terrorist groups acknowledged on their social media pages that the so-called “military commander of the central division”, Mohammad Ridwan al-Hussein, and the so-called “deputy commander of the 60th infantry division”, Mohammad Marwan al-Faraj, were killed.
____________
Iraq
(IraqiNews.com) Baghdad – Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi discussed with Russian President Vladimir Putin the “risk” of Chechen fighters, who have joined ISIS, as well as Russian armament to Iraq, while Putin expressed Russia’s full support for Iraq in its war against terrorism.
The Information Office of Ebadi said in a statement received by IraqiNews.com,
“Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi met President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the General Assembly of the United Nations meeting,” noting that “During the meeting, they discussed the situation in the region and the promotion of bilateral relations between the two countries in various fields and the war on ISIS and Russian arming of Iraq.”
The statement added:
“They also addressed the danger of Chechen fighters who have joined ISIS, which represents a common threat to Iraq and Russia, in addition to strengthening bilateral relations in the field of intelligence and security, as well as the development of relations in the field of economy and energy.”
–
(IraqiNews.com) Baghdad – On Monday, Joint Special Operations Command announced the killing and wounding of a large number of ISIS elements in an air strike that targeted the headquarters of the organization in Heet, west of Anbar.
The Joint Special Operations Command said in a statement received by IraqiNews.com ,
“Falcons Intelligence Cell managed to target the headquarters of ISIS senior leaders, booby-trapping factories and their gatherings in different regions.”
The statement added that,
“The Air Falcons conducted four heavy strikes on specific sites in Mohammadi area in the district of Heet, resulting in the destruction of a booby-trapping truck and killing the explosives expert during the training of suicide bombers on how to bomb the truck; there was a very large explosion that killed a number of members of the organization “.
–
(IraqiNews.com) Kirkuk – A security source in Kirkuk province announced on Tuesday, that 11 members of the ISIS had been either killed or wounded, including senior leaders, during an aerial bombardment by the international coalition south of Kirkuk, (250 km north of Baghdad).
The source said in an interview to IraqiNews.com:
“the coalition aircraft targeted this morning ISIS sites in the villages of Al-Dakmat and Wadi Abu Khanajir in the area of al-Safra Airport in Rashad area (65 km) south of Kirkuk, killing four elements of the organization and injuring seven others. ”
The source, who asked anonymity, added: “There were among the dead and the wounded senior leaders in the organization.”
Noteworthy, Deputy Commander of the Anti-Terrorism Operations in Anbar province, Brigadier General Abdul Amir al-Khazraji, announced on Sunday (October 18, 2015) the liberation of Albu Risha area north of Ramadi.
–
(IraqiNews.com) Baghdad – Defense Minister Khaled al-Obeidi announced on Monday, that the security forces achieved great victories in the cleansing battles of Anbar and Salahuddin, pointed out that those forces are close to the completion of the liberalization operations of Anbar.
Obeidi said in a press conference in Al-Muthanna airport in central Baghdad attended by IraqiNews.com,
“Our forces achieved great victories in the provinces of Anbar and Salah al-Din,” pointing out that “the security forces are very close to the completion of the cleansing operations of Anbar province and moving to Nineveh province to liberate it as soon as possible. ”
He added:
“The cleansing battles of Sharqat district in northern Salahuddin are in need of time and plans to avoid losses,” stressing that “our forces in coordination with the Air Force and Army Aviation are working to target ISIS gatherings in all areas.”
–
(IraqiNews.com) al-Anbar – The commander of al-Jazeerah and al-Badiyah Operations Command, General Ali Ibrahim Dabon, announced on Monday the killing of 10 members of the ISIS organization during a military operation east of Haditha District, while pointed out to the dismantlement of 172 explosive devices in the eastern axis of al-Baghdadi District.
Dabon stated in an interview for IraqiNews.com, “A force from al-Jazeerah and al-Badiyah Operations managed to shell gatherings for ISIS elements in the area of Albu Hayat east of Haditha (160 km west of Ramadi), resulting in the death of 10 elements of the organization.”
He also added, “Another force was able to dismantle 172 explosive devices and 4 explosive belts, in addition to destroying 4 booby-trapped houses in the eastern axis of al-Baghdadi District.”
–
Iraqinews.com) Nineveh – A source in Nineveh Operations Command announced on Monday, that 53 ISIS elements had been killed in an aerial bombardment by the international coalition in the province.
The source said in an interview for Iraqinews.com, “The international coalition carried out several air strikes against ISIS sites near Sheikh Khans village near Sinjar, resulting in the death of 48 elements of the organization.”
The source, who asked to remain anonymous, added: “The international coalition carried out accurate strikes against ISIS sites on the road to Mosul, killing five members of the organization, in addition to destroying the site of launching Katyusha rockets and a car bomb.”
–
(IraqiNews.com) Salah AL-Dien – On Monday the leadership of the Second Division in the Anti-Terrorism Forces announced the killing of 70 ISIS elements east of Baiji north of Tikrit (170 km north of Baghdad).
The commander of the Second Division, Maj. Gen. Maan Zidane, said in an interview for IraqiNews.com, “The security forces repelled, at dawn today, an ISIS attack on the eastern side of Baiji (40 km north of Tikrit), killing 70 militants.”
He added that “military operations are continuing in al-Fatha area,” stressing that “ISIS is besieged between the mountain of Hamrin and Makhoul.”
“the security forces and al-Hashed al-Shaabi began cleansing the western area of Baiji,” said Zidane.
–
ATTENTION READERS
We See The World From All Sides and Want YOU To Be Fully InformedIn fact, intentional disinformation is a disgraceful scourge in media today. So to assuage any possible errant incorrect information posted herein, we strongly encourage you to seek corroboration from other non-VT sources before forming an educated opinion.
About VT - Policies & Disclosures - Comment Policy
