Last chapter of war in Damascus closes with final defeat of Islamic State

For the first time in seven years, Syria’s capital Damascus was declared secure and without any rebel presence on Monday, following the defeat of the Islamic State (IS) in their last strongholds south of the capital, an achievement that closed the last chapter of war in the Syrian capital.

The battle against the IS was renewed a month ago, as the government forces were pushing hard to eradicate the terror-designated group from Hajar al-Aswad and the nearby Yarmouk Camp, both the last IS-held areas in the capital.

The sounds of airstrikes and artillery shelling targeting IS positions in those areas and nearby pockets were the themes of the month-long battles, as the buildings in Hajar al-Aswad and Yarmouk Camp are so close to one another, almost cramming the neighborhoods there.

The layout of those areas made it extremely hard for the infantry units to easily storm there, which explains the intensified airstrikes and artillery shelling.

The Syrian army on Monday declared the entire Damascus city and its countryside secure. In a statement, the army said the significance of this achievement emanates from the defeat of the most “vicious terrorist group” and proves that the Syrian army has become more powerful and determined to eliminate the terrorist groups in other Syrian areas.

Following the victory declaration, Xinhua reporters visited Hajar al-Aswad area, and it was a fresh battlefield.

Black and white smoke was still spiraling outward into the air over the area, with the heavy smell of smoke hanging in the air. The smoke was heavy as if a fog has enshrouded the area, making it difficult to see clearly.

A fire was also seen gutting some homes and streets, while the rubble was everywhere with pancaked buildings, whose rooftops hung over to kiss the ground.

The disaster in the area seemed the result of the presence of a terror-designated group such as IS in a vital area only a few kilometers from Damascus.

While the Syrian army officially denied it, activists such as the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the IS militants had finally surrendered and evacuated to the Syrian desert.

This claim was denied by state media, which said that only women, children and elderly men were evacuated from Hajar al-Aswad.

Either way, the result is that Damascus is now safe all around, according to the Syrian army.

In Hajar al-Aswad, a colonel told Xinhua that military victory in Hajar al-Aswad and Yarmouk Camp is very important to the security of the capital.

“This achievement of liberating Hajar al-Aswad and Yarmouk Camp is considered very big as it restores peace and security of Damascus and its countryside,” the officer said.

Meanwhile, Maher Ihsan, a Syrian political expert, told Xinhua that the declaration of the capital as safe has a political significance. The core of control of the government of President Bashar al-Assad is now safe and far from any threat, contrary to previous years when the rebels’ threat was reaching the heart of the capital with mortar shells.

The Yarmouk Camp, which is adjacent to Hajar al-Aswad, was largely populated by Palestinian refugees in Damascus, the reason why it was called a “camp”; the fact is that this area was booming ahead of the crisis as it had several neighborhoods and marketplaces that were bustling with people.

The Syrian army turned the focus on Hajar al-Aswad and the Yarmouk Camp after capturing the entire Eastern Ghouta countryside east of Damascus, as well as the eastern part of Qalamoun region north of Damascus, after the rebels withdrew to northern Syrian areas this month.

The IS lost its major stronghold late last year, with the Syrian army capturing the Deir al-Zour city in eastern Syria as well as large swathes of the Syrian desert near the Iraqi border. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces also stripped the IS of its de facto capital of Raqqa north of Syria.

Now, the IS still holds some areas in the eastern province of Deir al-Zour, namely villages on the eastern bank of the Euphrates River, where the SDF is now fighting against the terror group.