DAMASCUS, Syria: Syrian state TV is reporting that government forces have launched a new operation targeting underground tunnels used by Daesh in the capital, Damascus.
The TV says the aim of the operation is to destroy dug-out trenches and tunnels in the Hajjar Al-Aswad neighborhood and the nearby Palestinian refugee camp of Yarmouk that is also mostly controlled by Daesh.
A group of journalists taken on Tuesday to the adjacent neighborhood of Qadam witnessed intense shelling and airstrikes on Daesh positions in the camp and Hajjar Al-Aswad.
The area in southern Damascus is the last part of the capital not controlled by President Bashar Assad’s forces. Other insurgents in the area, including an Al-Qaeda-linked group, have said they would relocate to rebel-held regions in northern Syria.
Syrian troops target Daesh tunnels, trenches in Damascus
Syrian troops target Daesh tunnels, trenches in Damascus
- Syrian government forces are targeting tunnels and trenches used by Daesh militants
- Other militia groups operate in the region including Al-Qaeda
US envoy calls for ceasefire deal in northeastern Syria to be maintained
- Tom Barrack, ambassador to Turkiye and special envoy for Syria, reiterates Washington’s support for Jan. 18 integration agreement between Syria’s government and Syrian Democratic Forces
LONDON: Tom Barrack, the US ambassador to Turkiye and special envoy for Syria, on Monday reiterated Washington’s desire to ensure the ceasefire agreement in northeastern Syria between Syria’s government and the Syrian Democratic Forces continues.
In a message posted on social media platform X, he wrote: “Productive phone call this evening with his excellency Masoud Barzani to discuss the situation in Syria and the importance of maintaining the ceasefire and ensuring humanitarian assistance to those in need, especially in Kobani.”
Barzani has been the leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party since 1979, and served as president of Kurdistan region between 2005 and 2017.
The current present, Nechirvan Barzani, previously welcomed a recent decree by the Syrian president, Ahmad Al-Sharaa, officially recognizing the Kurdish population as an integral part of the country.
Barrack reiterated Washington’s support for efforts to advance the Jan. 18 agreement between Syria’s government and the SDF to integrate the latter into state institutions. The SDF is a Kurdish-led faction led by Mazloum Abdi that operates in northeastern Syria and recently clashed with government forces.
On Saturday, the Syrian Arab News Agency reported that the Syrian Ministry of Defense had announced a 15-day extension of the ceasefire deal.
