Assad visits troops on Ghouta’s front line
Syrian President Bashar Assad visited troops Sunday on the front line in the newly captured areas of eastern Ghouta, near the capital Damascus, hailing their recent advances as a part of a larger battle against global terrorism.
Standing in a neighbourhood street, Assad congratulated his troops during the visit broadcast on state-run Al-ikhbariya TV. “We are proud of you,’’ he said.
He told the soldiers that they are not only fighting for the region but also to rid the world of terrorism.
“With every bullet you fire at a terrorist, you change the balance in the world,’’ Assad said.
Syria’s government views all its opposition as terrorists. Assad’s visit comes on the week the war enters its eighth year, a war that has devastated large parts of Syria, and displaced nearly half of the population. What started as peaceful protests against his family’s long rule turned into a civil war after a heavy crackdown. The government fought the opposition for years, using its air force and artillery and solicited help from its Russian and Iranian allies, who threw their weight behind Assad.
Recapturing eastern Ghouta, a short drive away from the Syrian capital, would mark the biggest victory yet for President Bashar Assad in the country’s civil war. The area has been under rebel control since 2012. It would also be the worst setback for rebels since the opposition was ousted from eastern Aleppo in late 2016 after a similar siege and bombing campaign.
Assad stood near a tank and was surrounded by soldiers on a street in eastern Ghouta, the region near Damascus where a government offensive has been underway over the past month. The soldiers cheered and pumped fists in the air. Assad, who wore a suit with no tie, flashed smiles and stopped for chats with soldiers. Some Soldiers posed with him, taking selfies. It was not clear where in eastern Ghouta Assad was.