FROM EIR DAILY ALERT
Damascus Is Now Completely Free of Terrorists, a Great Victory!
May 23, 2018 (EIRNS)—Today, for the first time in seven years, the Syrian capital of Damascus and surrounding areas are completely free from terrorists, after the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) cleared out the last pockets of Islamic State from the al-Hajar and al-Aswad districts and the adjacent Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp.
The SAA has spent the last month on this campaign and succeeded in negotiating an exit for the remaining terrorists, without much of a fight, Sputnik reported today, a fact largely ignored by Western media. Israel’s Ha’aretz reported today that Islamic State now only controls two besieged desert areas in Eastern Syria, while another insurgent group loyal to ISIS controls a small enclave in the southwest.
President Bashar al-Assad today welcomed Alexander Lavrentiev, President Vladimir Putin’s Special Envoy for Syria, who arrived in Damascus with his delegation. Lavrentiev conveyed President Putin’s congratulations on the complete liberation of Damascus, while President al-Assad thanked the Russian people and their leadership for their support. Russia, he said, is a partner in this victory, and also stated that the effort will continue until the last terrorists are eliminated and terrorist hotbeds liberated, the official Syrian Arab News Agency reported. SANA continued that in the discussions between Assad and Lavrentiev, an emphasis was placed on developing mechanisms to implement the outcomes of Assad’s May 17 Sochi meeting with President Vladimir Putin, in terms of combatting continuing terrorism, ramping up Russia’s participation in Syria’s reconstruction, and pushing the political process forward.
