BEIRUT: The Syrian army and its allies were fighting on Saturday in Daesh’s last pocket in central Syria after taking the heavily defended village of Uqairabat on Friday, a war monitor reported.
The enclave lies close to the main road running between the cities of Homs and Aleppo near the town of Al-Salamiya, and has been the site of intense fighting for months. Evicting jihadists from the area is viewed as necessary to improve security on the road.
The Syrian army, aided by Russian airstrikes and Iran-backed Shiite militias including Lebanon’s Hezbollah, has advanced deep into eastern Syria this year against Daesh.
It is pushing to relieve its besieged enclave in the city of Deir Al-Zor, one of the cities on the Euphrates to which Daesh has fallen back after losses in both Syria and Iraq, but has left the pocket in central Syria in its rear.
Late on Friday, a military media unit run by Hezbollah said the army had captured Uqairabat, which it described as Daesh’s stronghold in that region.
The war monitor, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said the army and its allies had also taken other villages in the area, aided by Russian helicopters, and reported that intense fighting continued.
Syrian army gains in Daesh’s last central Syria bastion
Syrian army gains in Daesh’s last central Syria bastion
Putin thanks UAE’s president for Ukraine mediation efforts
- Russian president meets Emirati counterpart, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, in Moscow for talks spanning international affairs and bilateral trade
- Another round of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine is due to take place in Abu Dhabi on Sunday
LONDON: Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked his counterpart from the UAE, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, on Thursday for his mediation efforts on the war in Ukraine.
As Russian and Ukrainian negotiators prepare for another round of peace talks, due to take place in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, the Emirati president met the Russian leader at the Kremlin during an official visit to Moscow.
Putin “expressed his appreciation to the UAE for hosting the trilateral talks involving Russia, Ukraine and the United States,” the Emirates News Agency reported.
Sheikh Mohammed said he was proud to have helped mediate prisoner exchanges between Russia and Ukraine, and the UAE was ready to “assist all constructive efforts” regarding important humanitarian matters.
The leaders also discussed the latest developments in the Middle East. Regarding the conflict between Israel and Palestine, they said there was an “urgent need to intensify efforts to achieve a clear path towards a just and comprehensive peace based on the two-state solution.”
Other topics included ways in which bilateral cooperation might be strengthened in areas such as trade, investment, technology, space and energy.
Russia and the UAE have moved to deepen ties in recent years. They signed two key trade and economic partnership agreements last summer.
