Army pressures ISIS in central Syria

Regime troops were locked in heavy fighting on Tuesday with ISIS in central Syria, where they dealt the jihadists a major blow by seizing the ancient city of Palmyra.

Just two days after seizing Palmyra from ISIS, pro-government fighters advanced south-west towards the jihadist-held town of Al-Qaryatain, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

They captured a series of strategic hilltops overlooking the town, said the Britain-based monitor, backed by “intense” airstrikes by both Syrian and Russian warplanes.

State news agency SANA said the Army, backed by pro-government militia, had also seized rural farmland south of Al-Qaryatain as they closed in on the town.

ISIS had seized the str-ategic town in August 2015, abducting at least 230 people, including doz-ens of Christians, and ra-zing its famed Mar Elian monastery. The town lies on a key road linking Palmyra with the Qala-mun region of Damascus province to the west.

Sunday’s capture of Palmyra, known as the “Pearl of the Desert” for its colonnaded alleyways and stunning temples, was seen as a the biggest blow so far in the war against ISIS in Syria.

Syria’s government has hailed the victory as proof of its credentials in the anti-ISIS fight.

On Tuesday, defence mi-nister Fahed Jassem al-Freij said the armed forc-es would push their offensive against ISIS to secure a “final victory” over the jihadists, the SANA state news agency reported. “Bringing security and stability to Palmyra is an essential step towards a final victory over takfiri (extremist Sunni Muslim) terrorism,” Mr Freij told his Iranian counterpart Hossein Dehghan.

France on Tuesday hailed the recapture by Syrian forces of Palmyra as “positive news” but stressed Damascus bore the main blame for the war in Syria.

“The advances against Daesh today cannot erase the fact that the (Syrian) regime bears the main responsibility for the conflict and its 2,70,000 dead over the past five years,” said foreign ministry spokesman Romain Nadal. Speaking at a press briefing, Mr Nadal reiterated France’s call for a halt to attacks on “moderate opposition groups” in Syria.