In an interview with Sputnik, Syrian military expert, Brigadier-General Heitham Hassun, said that the “liberation of this area will become a decisive victory over the terrorists because this is their last remaining stronghold in Syria.”
He added that this would cut off the militants’ supply routes in central Syria and speed up the liberation of terrorist-held territories in the country’s north, south and in Idlib province.
Eastern Qalamoun region of Damascus where, after a stern warning issued by the army command and realizing that that they had no chance to hold out, the terrorists finally agreed to surrender their weapons and leave the area.
“If this scenario doesn’t work, the army will flush out the enemy just like it did earlier in Eastern Ghouta. The terrorists can be encircled and driven out from all the towns and villages they are holed up in. This won’t take long, but because of the difficult nature of urban warfare, this scenario would be used as a last resort,” Hassun explained.
Syrian army units are all set to launch a large-scale operation to liberate the southern parts of Hama province and the north of Homs province after the jihadist militants turned down a peace plan offered them by Damascus, Al-Masdar News reported, citing military sources.
READ MORE: Syrian Army Advancing on Area South of Damascus — Reports
In late April, almost 5,500 militants and their family members were evacuated from the Damascus suburb of Eastern Qalamoun after surrendering their weapons to government forces.
In an almost parallel development, over 100 jihadists and more than 1,000 of their family members left the city of Douma in Syria's Eastern Ghouta for Idlib province.