Rebels Roll Back Syria Army Gains
Rebels wrested back a flashpoint town in central Syria on Friday, reversing the last of the gains the army had made in a month-old offensive in Hama province, a monitoring group said.
The Islamist rebels overran Atshan and surrounding areas in the morning and, despite Russian air support, the army was unable to push them back, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Russian air support had been key to the army's gains in the offensive it launched in Hama province on October 7.
It captured Atshan on October 10, but withdrew from it and nearby towns, including Umm al-Haratayn, on Friday.
"Regime forces lost control of the last remaining towns it had seized since the beginning of its ground operations in the northern parts of Hama province," Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said.
Sixteen government loyalists and seven rebels were killed in the fighting.
The setback comes a day after the army lost the towns of Morek and Tal Skeik to jihadists and other rebels.
The loss of Morek cost the army the last town under its control along the main highway north from Hama to second city Aleppo.
Morek has changed hands several times in Syria's four-year civil war. Government troops last retook it in October 2014.
The army still controls swathes of territory south of the town.
Elsewhere, 27 civilians and 15 Islamic State group fighters were killed in Russian air strikes on Tuesday on the city of Raqa, the jihadists' de facto capital in Syria, the Observatory said, updating an earlier toll.
06 November 2015, 17:13
61
IS=KSA/Qatar/UAE/?
Talk about "wag the dog": the US is fighting both sides of this war, to make sure Syria gets destroyed.
06 November 2015, 17:52
14
3 years from now, russia would have carried out 9,565 bombing raids and nassrallah would be promising divine victory and the rebels would still be advancing.
06 November 2015, 18:09
04
وأفاد مراسل أورينت "فراس كرم" أن كتائب الثوار سيطرت بعد ظهر اليوم على قرية "قبيبات" (أبوالهدى) وتل الصوّان التي تبعد عن مدينة "صوران" كبرى معاقل قوات الأسد بحوالي 7 كلم من الجهة الشمالية الشرقية.
وتأتي هذه التطورات بعد ساعات من إعلان الثوار تحرير قريتي "عطشان" و"أم حارتين" إلى جانب مداجن "الهلال" وحاجز "العيساوي" وتل "الطويل" في ريف حماة الشرقي.
وأوضح مراسلنا أن بتحرير "تل الصوان" أصبح الثوار على بعد 3 كيلو فقط من الجهة الشمالية الغربية لقرية "معان" ذات الغالبية العلوية، والتي يتواجد بداخلها العديد من مراكز التدريب لميليشيات الشبيحة، وتعتبر خزاناً بشرياً هاماً للنظام لشن هجماته على قرى ريف حماة، حيث تبعد القرية عن مورك حوالي 10 كيلو متر.
وكانت "حركة أجناد الشام" نفذت مساء أمس عملية انغماسية في قرية عطشان، قتل على إثرها 40 عنصراً للنظام بينهم قائد العمليات برتبة عميد، ليقوم بعدها الثوار بتمشيط القرية والسيطرة عليها بشكل كامل، كما تم تحرير قرية أم حارتين ومداجن الهلال وحاجز العيساوي وتل الطويل بالريف الشرقي، واغتنام دبابة وقاعدة كورنيت.
06 November 2015, 18:17
00
Mr mouwaten is obviously not I repeat not sectarian and he doesn't I repeat doesn't have multiple accounts, over!
06 November 2015, 18:24
03
strange indeed only yesterday mowaten irani said :
"_mowaten_ 22 hours ago
they desperately need to announce some "rebel" victory to bolster their morale. you're cruel for ruining the joy of anonyme, eagleyawn and pajamas, they were just about to pop (halal) champagne and halawas to celebrate this day..."
