Syrian troops deal heavy blow to rebels near Damascus

The Syrian troops' recapture of the town of Mlaiha in the eastern Damascus gave a heavy blow to the armed militant groups, official SANA news agency reported on Thursday.
In a statement, the Syrian army said that the recapture of Mlaiha enables the Syrian troops to tighten the siege on the armed militant groups in the eastern Damascus, and to give a launching pad to the troops for their future attacks against the rebels there.
Earlier in the day, the Syrian troops wrested back control over Mlaiha after a "series of qualitative operations."
Mlaiha was one of the first suburbs in the eastern Damascus that fell to the rebels, prompting the Syrian troops to strike a siege on the area along with other restive suburbs of Damascus before unleashing a crushing offensive recently to recapture the town.
The rebels in recent weeks managed to advance in Mlaiha amid reports that they had succeeded in breaking the government troops' siege. However, the Syrian troops apparently intensified attacks that led to Thursday's announcement.
The army's victory in Mlaiha would have an important impact on the battles in the countryside of Damascus, following the government troops' successive victories in the northern countryside of the heavily fortified capital.
Seizing the town would also deter the rebels' mortar fire from that area against nearby government-controlled areas, such as the predominantly Christian districts of Qassa and Bab Touma as well as the suburb of Jaramana, which has been plagued by daily mortar attacks from the rebels of Mlaiha.
Tens of people have been killed in Jaramana as a result of the indiscriminate shelling.
The Syrian troops were deadlocked in intense battles against the rebel groups across Syria during the country's long- standing crisis that has claimed the lives of over 100,000 people and displaced millions of others.