Syrian army extends mop-up operation in Damascus outskirts

The Syrian troops extended their operations in Damascus countryside, trying to bring a main international highway from Harasta to Damascus under complete control. According to Alalam reporter, the army is going to surround the two key districts of Barzeh and Qaboun and isolate them in order to start purging the highly volatile towns from rebels. Heavy clashes have been going on in the outskirts of capital Damscus, especially Barzeh, Joubar and Qaboun, between the Syrian army and foreign-backed militants who have infiltrated throughout the towns and neighborhoods to get closer to the capital. Army advancement has been slower in this region because of the congested texture of the whole area and the fact that insurgents usually use residents as human shields against attacks. According to our reporter, militants have dug several tunnels around Barzeh and use them both for hiding and attacking people. People in the occupied towns are threatened by extremist insurgents who often use them as human shields. Terrorist snipers have been hiding throughout the two towns and surrounding areas and so movement has been difficult for army soldiers. An army commander said militants in this region are armed with advanced weapons and they can easily shoot targets at far distances. The United States has boosted its military support for the insurgents in Syria, announcing to start arming them and calling on its allies to step up their military supports for them. As the Syrian army is struggling with a massive bloody insurgency throughout the country, US government has stepped up its pressures on the Syrian president Bashar al-Assad to leave his post and hand over the country to an opposition group which has turned to be a cover for terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front group. Syria crisis started as pro-reform protests but with interventions by the United States, UK and their regional and western allies it soon turned to a massive insurgency which took in numerous terrorist groups from all over Europe and the Middle-East to wage one of the bloodiest wars the region has ever experienced.