Syrian troops backed by Russian jets enter rebel-held southern town

A group monitoring the war said later on Tuesday that insurgents were putting up fierce resistance and that fighting raged on, counting more than two dozen air strikes during the assault.

Earlier in the day, the Syrian army captured Brigade 82 military base in the southern province of Daraa, pushing forward toward the strategic city of Sheikh Miskin near the Jordanian borders.

The army took the Brigade 82 base from the rebels on Tuesday, lost it as bad weather set in, and they took it once more overnight with the support of the air strikes, said rebels.

Earlier Monday, army units inflicted heavy losses in personnel and equipment upon terrorist organizations in al-Sheikh Miskeen after launching an operation resulted in establishing control over several points inside the city and its surroundings.

Syrian forces are advancing rapidly against both anti-Assad rebels and Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) positions with support from Iranian officers, Hizbullah fighters and Russian warplanes, reports say.

Activists say Russian air strikes, in which missiles and bombs are launched from high altitude, are distinct from Syrian air force strikes which rely more on untreated barrel bombs dropped from helicopters flying at lesser height.

Sheikh Maskin, the main goal of the army’s southern campaign, lies on one of the main supply routes from the capital Damascus to the city of Deraa, close to the border with Jordan.

Syria’s drive against militants across the Arab country saw a major boost since Damascus began to have the Russian air cover on September 30.

Sheikh Maskin is located on a major supply route from the Syrian capital of Damascus to the city of Dara’a.

“It’s a very important gain for the regime forces, they’ve now cut the road between Daraa and Damascus”, said Rami Abdurrahman of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The accounts of activists and non-governmental organisations suggested Russian attacks had “killed hundreds of civilians, including first responders” and “hit medical facilities, schools and markets”, state department spokesman Mark Toner said.

SANA reported that Syrian troops had full control of Maheen town and the nearby mountains, as well as the villages of Al-Hadath and Hawareen.

Source: Syrian troops backed by Russian jets enter rebel-held southern town – army – World