Syrian Army Purging Terrorists From Northwestern Aleppo

Source : Fars News Agency

TEHRAN (FNA)- The Syrian army continued its cleanup and chase operations against terrorists in different districts of Reef (outskirts of) Aleppo on Monday.

The army continued purging the terrorists from Bani Zayd town in Northwestern Aleppo today.

Bani Zayd is the last hideout and bastion of the armed rebels in Northwestern Syria. The Syrian army began its cleanup operations in Bani Zayd two days ago, and has made considerable advances in the area since then.

The Syrian army destroyed numerous terrorist troops and command centers and arms depot in Bani Zayd.

The terrorists have used Bani Zayd as a base for attacking Aleppo's Western districts such as Teshreen, al-Nil, al-Mokambo, al-Shahba, al-Khalediya and al-Sabil. Bani Zayd also provided the armed rebels with the ability to also target Southeastern Aleppo's residential areas such as al- Ashrafiya and al-Sorian. They kidnapped 30 Syrian civilians, including women and children, from these areas last week and used them as human shield.

Terrorists have tried hard in the last few months to make Syrian cities unsafe, specially for citizens, but the army has purged them from most neighborhoods and districts, killed hundreds of them and arrested many more.

Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011 with organized attacks by well-armed gangs against Syrian police forces and border guards being reported across the country.

Hundreds of people, including members of the security forces, have been killed, when some protest rallies turned into armed clashes.

The government blames outlaws, saboteurs, and armed terrorist groups for the deaths, stressing that the unrest is being orchestrated from abroad.

In October 2011, calm was eventually restored in the Arab state after President Assad started a reform initiative in the country, but Israel, the US and its Arab allies are seeking hard to bring the country into chaos through any possible means. Tel Aviv, Washington and some Arab capitals have been staging various plots in the hope of increasing unrests in Syria.

The US daily, Washington Post, reported in May that the Syrian rebels and terrorist groups battling the President Bashar al-Assad's government have received significantly more and better weapons in recent weeks, a crime paid for by the Persian Gulf Arab states and coordinated by the United States.

The newspaper, quoting opposition activists and US and foreign officials, reported that Obama administration officials emphasized the administration has expanded contacts with opposition military forces to provide the Persian Gulf nations with assessments of rebel credibility and command-and-control infrastructure.

According to the report, material is being stockpiled in Damascus, in Idlib near the Turkish border and in Zabadani on the Lebanese border.

Opposition activists who several months ago said the rebels were running out of ammunition said in May that the flow of weapons - most bought on the black market in neighboring countries or from elements of the Syrian military in the past - has significantly increased after a decision by Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other Persian Gulf states to provide millions of dollars in funding each month.