Syria army launches attack to retake key area

Syrian troops have carried out an attack against the militants to recapture a strategic area near the capital, Damascus.

The offensive was launched on Monday after the al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front seized parts of the southeastern suburb of Dukhaniyeh, the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The UK-based group said that the Syrian army killed at least 10 terrorists.

The village of Dukhaniyeh is regarded as a strategic area for terrorists, since it can be used as a launch pad for mortar attacks on Damascus.

Meanwhile, Syrian troops pressed ahead with their campaign, targeting positions of the ISIL Takfiri terrorists in the provinces of Deir Ezzor and Raqqa.

Over the past months, the Syrian army has made major gains in its battle against Takfiri militants across the country.

More than 191,000 people have been killed in over three years of battle in Syria, according to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

The figure may even be an “underestimate of the real total number of people killed,” the OHCHR says.

The ISIL Takfiri terrorists are currently in control of parts of eastern Syria.

The militants in Syria are reportedly supported by the Western powers and their regional allies — especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.