DAMASCUS/BEIRUT: Syrian troops recaptured the strategic town of Deir Atiyeh Thursday, less than a week after losing it, as fighting raged in the area ahead of planned peace talks in January. The seizure of Deir Atiyeh, on the Damascus-Homs highway, comes two weeks into an army offensive in the Qalamoun region, important to the regime for … Continue reading Syrian army ups attacks ahead of talks