Syria Army Retakes Strategic Town in Latakia
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Syrian army said on Thursday it had captured the town of Kansaba in the northern countryside of the coastal province of Latakia.
The capture of the town in the northeastern mountainous region allows the army and its allies to begin wider operations to regain rebel held town of Jisr al Shughour, northeast of Kansaba in Idlib province.
The army said the recapture of the Latakia countryside allows it to begin a major operation to regain the northwestern province of Idlib, which is mainly in the hands of terrorist groups, Reuters reported.
The army has been able to regain large parts of the Latakia countryside in recent weeks, seizing the two main rebel strongholds of Salma and Rabiya in an attack aided by heavy Russian firepower.
Syria has been fighting a foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. Several regional countries — among them Turkey, which has a long border with Syria — has been aiding the militants fighting the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
