Syrian Army Back on March in Southwestern Aleppo

The army soldiers re-launched their anti-terrorism offensives in al-Rashedeen 4 and 5 neighborhoods, driving the Al-Nusra out of several residential complexes.

The army men also pushed the Al-Nusra back from several positions where journalists were present to cover the developments, and from the Research Center in the Western outskirts of Aleppo city.

In the meantime and simultaneous with the army advances in the Western and Southwestern outskirts of Aleppo city, the Russian fighter jets targeted the Al-Nusra positions and movements in al-Rashedeen, Journalists’ Association area, near Jam’iyat al-Zahra neighborhood, Zahra Abd Rabeh region and the town of al-Yarmoun, inflicting a number of casualties on the terrorists.

Informed source said earlier today that the army men drove terrorist groups out of al-Rashedeen 5 settlement after eight hours of intense battle last night, but decided to leave the settlement under heavy mortar attacks by the terrorist groups on residential areas in the Southwestern outskirts of Aleppo city.

The terrorist groups deployed in al-Kalariyeh and Khan al-Assal regions shelled the Syrian Army positons and residential areas in al-Rashedeen 5, the sources said, adding the militants also carried out several counterattacks in the battlefield.

They added that the army men moved towards the Eastern parts of al-Rashedeen near South (bazaar) al-Jabas to decrease casualties after they came under massive mortar and artillery fire by militants.

The Al-Nusra Front and its terrorist allies finally could enter al-Rashedeen and deployed their forces in a number of buildings, the sources said.

Settlements and towns in Western Aleppo have rather lengthy border with militant-held regions in Idlib and the terrorist groups can easily access fresh forces and equipment.

A field commander told FNA that terrorists’ control over Rashedeen 1 (North Rashedeen) has made it difficult for the army men deployed in Jam’iyat al-Zahra and Research Center neighborhoods in the Western part of Aleppo city to continue their march further to the West.

He further added that continued dispatch of militants in al-Rashedeen 1 by terrorist groups has forced the army men to use their positions in Jam’iyat al-Zahra and Research Center neighborhoods to carry out an operation in the Western countryside of Aleppo to stop the terrorists’ heavy mortar attacks on their positions.