FARS quoted military sources as saying that the Syrian troops attacked Daesh forces in the territories between the recently-liberated cities of Quaryatayn and Palmyra and along the strategically important Palmyra-Raqqa highway, in an assault that lefty dozens of terrorists dead and many more wounded.
"A number of hilltops have been recaptured in the Bardeh Mountains and the government forces have started to fortify their positions in the newly-captured lands," the sources said.
The new attacks came shortly after reports that the Syrian Army and the NDF have considerably advanced against Daesh terrorists in the eastern part of Homs province, restoring security to more regions near Palmyra and deploying their troops near part of Homs Province which is considered the most energy-rich region in the country. Quaryatayn, to the west of Palmyra, was liberated earlier this month; in August, 2015 Daesh terrorists captured the town, abducted 320 of its citizens including 60 Christians, and destroyed a 1,500 year-old Christian monastery.
Life on the battlefield: #GoPro footage captures Syrian Army fighting jihadists https://t.co/s70EaCrXx3 pic.twitter.com/YipaLXy3Vu
— RT (@RT_com) 22 апреля 2016 г.
According to the sources, "the Syrian government forces pushed the ISIL terrorists back from a long chunk of Palmyra-Raqqa the highway and have positioned their forces around the Arak oilfields."
"The rapid advances of the Syrian Army and popular forces against Daesh in the eastern part of Homs province will end the terrorist group's rule over the oil and gas fields," the sources added.
In February 2015, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2268, endorsing a Russia-US agreement on the cessation of hostilities in Syria; the ceasefire came into force shortly thereafter, on February 27, and fighting throughout much of the country subsided. However, Daesh and the Al-Nusra Front were not included in the truce.
#Syria/n Army surrounds strategic town in northeast #Latakia https://t.co/LgDeNRRXCZ via @thearabsource @leithfadel
— Peto Lucem (@PetoLucem) 20 апреля 2016 г.
Between September 30, 2015 and March 14, 2016, the Syrian Army's anti-terror efforts were backed by an extensive Russian air campaign. During that period, more than fifty Russian warplanes, including Su-24M, Su-25 and Su-34 jets, conducted precision airstrikes on Daesh and Al-Nusra targets in Syria at the behest of President Assad.
Moscow will maintain a military presence in Syria, although a deadline for a complete pullout has not yet been announced. Putin also indicated that Russian forces will remain at the port of Tartus and Hmeymim Airbase.
