MARJ-AL-SULTAN (Syria), (Sputnik) — The killed militants belonged to Jaish al-Islam and Jaish al-Fatah Islamist groups, the source told RIA Novosti.
On December 14, Syrian troops seized control of the Marj al-Sultan airbase, located 18 kilometers (11 miles) away from Damascus. The active phase of Syrian offensive in this area started about two weeks ago. The air base had been remaining under militants' control for over two years.
Syria has been in a state of civil war since 2011, with the country’s government fighting a number of opposition factions and radical Islamist groups, including the Islamic State (ISIL or Daesh in Arabic) and the al-Nusra Front.
Russia, which has outlawed and designated the Daesh as a terrorist organization, has been conducting airstrikes against the group's positions in Syria since September 30, following a request from Syrian President Bashar Assad.
