Syria/Iraq update 4/20/2019..ISIL reportedly kills 35 military personnel in eastern Syria

ISIL reportedly kills 35 military personnel in eastern Syria

Syria |Rubbles removal from the villages of the eastern countryside of Deir al-Zour

Al-Zaiton church in bab Sharqi, old Damascus. The concert was held to celebrate good friday.

From the funeral ceremony of the heroic martyr “Fida Fouad Nassif” of the men of the First Armored Division – the 58th Brigade

Farsnews Syria in Last 24 Hours

The Turkish Army has built new military bases near the border with Syria’s Aleppo province amid threats to launch fresh operations against the Kurdish fighters, including the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

“The Turkish Army is engaged in setting up new military bases near Syria’s border as it prepares to launch a new offensive,” the Kurdish-language Hawar News quoted undisclosed sources as saying on Friday.

Meantime, the Syrian army continued its military advances in other parts of Syria over past 24 hours.

Tens of terrorists were killed and dozens more were injured during the Syrian army’s operations in provinces across Syria.

Aleppo

The Turkish Army has built new military bases near the border with Syria’s Aleppo province amid threats to launch fresh operations against the Kurdish fighters, including the Syrian Democratic Forces, media reports said.

The Kurdish-language Hawar News quoted undisclosed sources as saying that the Turkish Army is engaged in setting up new military bases near Syria’s border as it prepares to launch a new offensive.

It noted that the Turkish Army has turned the houses of civilians in the villages of Kouk Tappa and Upper Ashmeh inside the Turkish soil adjacent to Western Kobani in Northern Aleppo province.

“The Turkish Army is also constructing trenches in the surrounding areas of the villages,” the Hawar News said.

Raqqa

The US Army has deployed ISIL commanders and terrorists in the security bodies of the Syrian Democratic Forces in Raqqa paving the way for fleeing of a large number of militants from SDF prisons after paying large amount of cash, sources said.

The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) quoted informed sources as saying that former ISIL commanders and terrorists who had still been in Raqqa before the SDF gained control of the region are now in charge of different security responsibilities, including traffic police and similar responsibilities in the town of Ain Issa in Western Raqqa.

It said militants are asking for bribes and taxes from vehicles, which has enraged citizens.

Meantime, a battlefield source in Hasaka also reported that an SDF commander has released three ISIL terrorists from the SDF prison in the city of al-Shadadi after receiving $5,000 from each of them.

Meantime, the dead bodies of over 20 victims killed in the US-led coalition airstrikes and ISIL attacks have been discovered from under the rubble and mass-graves in Raqqa in the past two days.

Media activists in Raqqa reported that the civil teams in the city found the corpses of 13 people from a mass-grave in al-Fakhikheh region in Southern Raqqa.

They also said that 11 other dead bodies, including a child, were discovered from the debris of the buildings in al-Badou, al-Adkhar, al-Haramieh and near al-Talaeh military base in the city of Raqqa who had been killed in the US airstrikes.

Syrian president, Russian deputy PM discuss post-war economic revival 

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov have discussed a constitutional committee meant to draft the Arab country’s new constitution as well as Moscow’s efforts to revive the war-ravaged nation’s economy.

During a meeting in the Syrian capital Damascus on Saturday, President Assad and Borisov exchanged views about ways to improve bilateral cooperation in all fields at different levels and the agreements signed between the two countries in the energy, industry, and trade sectors, the Syrian Arab News Agency SANA reported.

It added that the two sides also reviewed feasible mechanisms to overcome all the obstacles facing the implementation of the agreements, including the West’s sanctions on Syria, and to promote cooperation in new sectors in a way that would serve the interests of the two nations.

Borisov, who is also the chairman of the Joint Syrian-Russian Committee for Trade, Economy, Science and Technology Cooperation, briefed President Assad on the implementation of the agreements and the obstacles hindering their fulfillment.

He expressed his country’s intention to further support Syria against terrorism until the menace is totally eliminated and security and stability are fully restored to Syria.

Moscow is determined to play a role in Syria’s reconstruction process and to support it in difficult circumstances caused by the economic and terror wars against the country, the Russian envoy pointed out.

“After our meeting in December, we proceeded within the [framework of the] reached agreements and so far expect no breakdowns of planned actions. I am convinced that all our efforts aimed at Syria’s economic revival will be successful,” Borisov said.

Back in December, Borisov’s office said that the diplomat had discussed industrial, medical, and energy cooperation with President Assad in Damascus.