Russian newspaper: Syria suddenly attacked terrorist hideout near US military base
The Syrian army is said to have attacked and destroyed a series of targets of the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) in Homs province, located near the US military base there, Sputnik reported.
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| A Syrian soldier. Photo: Sputnik |
SputnikThe Syrian army launched a surprise attack against IS north of al-Tanf in Homs province, a military source said. The Syrian government forces targeted terrorist targets in the Kobajjep and al-Rashwaniyah areas, with the aim of regaining control of the strategic Humeimah area, located between Homs and Deir ez-Zor provinces.
Accordingly, the Syrian army is concentrating its efforts to destroy the last IS gunmen in the desert of Central Syria. This area is located at the intersection of Homs, Deir ez-Zor and Damascus. Syrian forces have liberated most of the territory, destroyed a series of hideouts and eliminated terrorists.
With the help of the Syrian air force, the Syrian infantry successfully carried out an offensive against the extremist groups. Currently, the large-scale operation has almost completely cleared the terrorist group from this area.
The attack took place shortly afterReutersCiting a statement from the commander of the US-backed opposition group Maghawir al-Thawra, he said they had conducted joint exercises with the US coalition in Syria near the US military base at Al-Tanf. According toReuters, the live-fire exercise involved hundreds of opposition members and US Marines.
US military spokesman Sean Ryan said the exercise was intended to demonstrate Washington's strength and "strengthen our capabilities and ensure we are ready to respond to any threat to us in the area of operations".
The information was released in the context that in August, a spokesman for the US-led anti-terror coalition denied allegations that there were terrorist camps located near the US military base in al-Tanf. “There are no terrorist camps located in the al-Tanf de-escalation zone, equivalent to a 55 km radius around the force base in al-Tanf,” the spokesman said.
The US-led anti-terror coalition has been operating in Syria without the permission of the United Nations or the Syrian government. Damascus has repeatedly accused the US military presence in Syria of being illegal, demanding that US forces leave the country and withdraw from the al-Tanf base.