Syria retakes more territory

BEIRUT, Aug 24, (AP): Syrian President Bashar Assad’s troops seized control of a string of villages in the northern countryside of Hama province, completing their takeover of the formerly rebel-held region just south of Idlib province for the first time since 2012, the Syrian army and a war monitoring group said Friday.

The army said troops seized the villages of Latamneh, Latmeen, Kfar Zeita and Lahaya, as well as the village of Morek, where Turkey maintains an observation post, pressing ahead its offensive toward Idlib.

The army advance represents the latest in a series of losses for rebels who have, for eight years, fought to topple Assad. It leaves his forces poised to focus on reclaiming Idlib province, near the border with Turkey, the last territory controlled by the opposition.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also reported Friday that government troops were in control of the entire northern Hama countryside after capturing a series of towns and villages. Syrian TV showed troops walking freely inside these villages. An army statement said the military was removing mines and boobytraps left behind by the insurgents.

The fate of Turkish troops manning the observation post wasn’t immediately clear. Since a deal with Russia last year, Turkey has maintained 12 such posts in and around Idlib province. Turkey is a strong backer of the Syrian opposition and rebels fighting Assad’s forces, while Russia supports Assad’s government. The Observatory said it was not clear whether there were any Turkish soldiers remaining in the Morek observation post or whether they had withdrawn from the area overnight.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu denied any Turkish troops were besieged in Syria. Speaking to reporters in Beirut on a visit, he said there were clashes in Idlib near Turkish observation posts “but we do not have any encircled soldiers.”