Local Editor

The Syrian army recaptured the strategic town of Deir Attiyeh Thursday, taking the advantage in its bid to crush armed groups north of Damascus.

The seizure of Deir Attiyeh, on the Damascus-Homs highway, comes two weeks into an army offensive in the Qalamoun region, important to the government for its proximity to the capital and to the armed groups, as it serves as their rear base near the Lebanese border.

It also comes amid intense international efforts to hold a conference aimed at ending a 32-month conflict that has killed more than 100,000 people and displaced millions.

But in the run-up to the January 22 talks in Geneva, the Syrian army appear to be pushing for leverage with as many battleground victories as possible.
"Our heroic army has taken total control of the town of Deir Attiyeh in Damascus province after it crushed the terrorists' last enclaves there," state television said, quoting a military source.

A high-ranking security official confirmed clarified that "operations to expel the terrorists from nearby areas are ongoing."
Most of those who had taken up positions in Deir Attiyeh were "crushed" and the town had been "cleansed," the security official said.

In parallel, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the army was now in "near-total control" of Deir Attiyeh.

A security source said loyalists also entered the nearby town of Nabuk.
"If this town is captured, all we'll have left is Yabroud and some other villages to completely block off the border with Lebanon and to stop any entrance or exit of rebels into Lebanon," said the source.

"The next phase will be to retake the south (of Syria). The north and the east are for later," he added.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team