Syria army retakes key Homs rebel district
DAMASCUS, July 29, 2013 (AFP) - The Syrian regime on Monday said the army recaptured a rebel district of Homs, a key symbol of the country's revolt, after a relentless one-month offensive.
Activists on the ground told AFP government troops now controlled 90 percent of Khaldiyeh neighbourhood.
The takeover is the second military success for President Bashar al-Assad's regime in Homs province in two months, after troops took over the former rebel bastion of Qusayr in June.
The full recapture of Homs, dubbed by rebels “the capital of the revolution,” would be a strategic win for the regime.
The city straddles a route linking Damascus to the Mediterranean coast and the Alawite hinterland of Assad's minority community.
“The armed forces have restored security and stability across the neighbourhood of Khaldiyeh,” one of the largest rebel bastions in the central city, state television said.
“Collapse of the terrorists' 'citadel' in Khaldiyeh -- we're going from victory to victory,” the broadcaster crowed.
The army, backed by fighters from Lebanon's powerful Hezbollah militant group, launched the assault on Khaldiyeh a month ago bolstered by the capture in June, also with Hezbollah help, of the Homs province town of Qusayr.
Several neighbourhoods in the Old City remain in rebel hands, but troops, who have a foothold in that part of town too, appear determined to dislodge them.
Several neighbourhoods in the Old City remain in rebel hands, but troops, who have a foothold in that part of town too, appear determined to dislodge them
“The capture of Khaldiyeh will make it easier (for the army) to retake the Old City and other (rebel) districts like Qussur,” Homs-based activist Mahmud al-Lowz told AFP via the Internet.
“If Homs city falls, the north of Syria will be cut off from the south,” he added.
An army officer, interview on state television, said regime forces hope to “cleanse the whole of Syria” after the Khaldiyeh victory.
“We cleansed the neighbourhood of terrorists this morning,” said the unnamed officer. “We will continue to chase the terrorists from all other areas of Homs.”