Syrian army encircles opposition forces in Hama pocket
Syrian army troops pushed deep into a pocket of
territory in the northwest where they encircled opposition forces and a Turkish
military post, seizing towns the insurgents have held for years, state TV and a
monitor said on Friday.
The army has imposed “a choking siege” on the
cluster of towns, with much of it coming either under army control or within
firing range, state-run Ikhabriya TV said.
Soldiers captured a dozen hills, expanding state
control of a main highway that runs through the area and stretches from the
capital Damascus to Aleppo city, it added.
Several opposition officials did not respond to
requests for comment.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said
pro-government force, backed by Russia, recovered the town of Kafr Zita from
opposition forces who had controlled it since 2012. A Turkish military post in
the nearby town of Morek was now also encircled, the UK-based war monitor and
state TV said.
