More Gains, No Pain: Syrian Army Takes on Daesh Near Key Airbase in Aleppo

The Syrian Army and the National Defense Forces have reportedly regained control of a spate of strategic areas from Daesh militants near the recently-captured Kuweires Military Airbase in northern Syria's Aleppo province.

An array of strategic areas located near the recently-captured Kuweires Military Airbase in northern Syria's Aleppo province have been liberated by the Syrian Army jointly with the National Defense Forces, according to the Iranian news agency FARS.

In particular, the Syrian troops managed to regain control of Tal Sherba' (hill of Sherba') and the village of Juruf near Kuweires Military Airbase in Aleppo's east on Saturday, sources said.

Supported by Syrian and Russian airstrikes, the Syrian Army lifted the three-year siege of the airbase on November 11, in fighting that left hundreds of Daesh terrorists killed and many more wounded.

Military personnel of the Syrian Arab army

© Sputnik / Valery Melnikov

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After the blockade was removed, the Syrian forces continued to fight to the north, east and west of the airbase; their main task was to create a safe zone surrounding the base so that they could start using it again.

Russian Defence Ministry summed up results of operation in #Syria in 2015 https://t.co/ZfLhzlZ6Qi pic.twitter.com/7tj3X7RCPg

— Минобороны России (@mod_russia) 25 декабря 2015

On November 24, the Syrian Army Command announced that all settlements around the airport had been liberated and that the militant groups were repelled from Kuweires Military Airbase.

#SYRIA #VIDEO Airstrikes of the Russian #AerospaceForces on oil production facilities used by terrorists https://t.co/LJqBgxJN5b

— Минобороны России (@mod_russia) 25 декабря 2015

In early December, military sources said that Kuweires airbase is ready to stage joint anti-terror operations with the Russian warplanes.

#SYRIA #VIDEO Elimination of terrorists' vehicles, which are transporting oil products https://t.co/BGwiwJD89i

— Минобороны России (@mod_russia) 25 декабря 2015

Shortly after, it was reported that the Syrian Air Force' helicopters had started to arrive and depart from the airbase once more after a three-year siege.

As for Russia's air campaign, it was launched on September 30, when more than fifty Russian warplanes, including Su-24M, Su-25 and Su-34 jets, commenced precision airstrikes on Daesh targets in Syria at the behest of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

On Friday, Russian Defense Ministry officials said that Russian fighter jets had made a total of 5,240 sorties since the start of the air operation against Daesh militants in Syria. The officials added that 145 of those sorties had only been carried out by long-range bombers, and that the Russian warplanes made 189 sorties on Thursday alone.