By Eva Bartlett
Back today from a few days in Aleppo (leaving this morning). My second trip varied from the first one month ago. Then, northern Aleppo areas of Mallah farms, Castello road, Bani Zeid, Lairamoun Industrial area were occupied by NATO’s terrorists. Now, they are liberated.

Then, the only route in was via the Ramouseh road, already dangerous for the 500 metres or so of exposure to foreign-backed terrorist snipers. Now, that road is closed for the protection of civilians from terrorist sniping and shelling.

This time, the road into Aleppo was the military-mainly SAA-liberated Castello road via Aleppo’s newly-liberated Bani Zaid district. The Castello road, mostly a dirt path sometimes several cars wide, sometimes narrow, still has some risk. While entering on Sunday, at one point a soldier at a checkpoint halted the car and instructed to wait until the vehicle ahead of us was a bit further on, to keep a distance between vehicles–in case one is targeted, it lessens the risk of damage to other vehicles. When leaving this morning a soldier urged the driver to floor it: mortars are falling.

In early July in Aleppo, terrorists’ missiles, mortars and explosive bullets fell on the city of over 1.5 million. This time too (all the time actually), although the areas liberated from terrorists are no longer sources of hell-canon fired explosive gas canisters, missiles, rockets and mortars.

The destruction in Bani Zaid and Lairamoun industrial area was vast, with terrorists holed up in the district since late 2012, firing their rockets/missiles/mortars/gas canisters/explosive bullets on Aleppo civilians from these and other areas they still infest. While the cleanup and rebuilding will be a long process, these liberated districts are at least no longer a source of terrorism.

Throughout the neighbours, evidence of terrorists bunkering in behind over-turned buses and other vehicles, and behind walls of barrels.

En route to/from Aleppo (the same northern road I took to Nubl/Zahra’a in July) terrorists’ spent gas canister bombs littered the countryside, on farmland and near homes. It is these improvised bombs (as well as foreign-supplied missiles, rockets, explosive bullets, mortars) which have been killing Syrians in Aleppo and elsewhere in Syria.

The liberation of Aleppo neighbourhoods by the Syrian Arab Army and allies unsurprisingly got pretty much no recognition in corporate media. Nor does the terrorism perpetrated by western-backed terrorists. But visiting the areas, meeting some of the liberators and protectors (including the Syrian civil defense**actual defense and rescuers, not a western creation/figment of the imagination as with the so-called “White Helmets” terrorists)–and knowing that life can return to these areas as it has in other liberated Syrian towns and cities–was profoundly moving. It was an honour to be there.

*An article I wrote based on interviews with doctors in Aleppo in July 2016:Article

SANA
Syrian Army units re-established full control over Bani Zaid neighborhood in Aleppo, adding that the army engineering units dismantled the explosives and mines from its streets and squares.

The Syrian Army also established control over Efrin bus station, youth housing and all the building blocks and factories in al-Liramoun in the northern outskirts of Aleppo.

Scores of terrorists turned themselves in and gave up their weapons to the authorities.

Terrorist organizations acknowledged on their social media pages the death of Ammar Shaaban, leader of “Nour al-Din al-Zinki” movement in Handarat to the northeast of Aleppo.

Homs

The Syrian Army air force destroyed ISIS fortified positions and vehicles in Burj Qaei, al-Talila reserve and east of al-Mahata al-Thalitha in Homs countryside.

Hama

Army units, in cooperation with the popular defense groups, clashed during the past hours fiercely with Jabhat al-Nusra terrorists who attacked, from many directions, al-Zara power plant in Hama southern countryside.

The attack was foiled with 30 terrorists killed, scores injured and their command center destroyed, two vehicles equipped with machine-gun and a mortar launcher.

The Syrian Army air force launched airstrikes on terrorist sites: al-Latamina town, Morik city and Skik village in the northern countryside of Hama, inflicting heavy losses on terrorists and arms.

The airstrikes also destroyed terrorist vehicles and fortified sites in Hor Binafsoh area in the southern countryside of the province.

In the eastern countryside, the army’s airstrikes targeted ISIS gatherings in Kalib al-Thor village in Salamyiah countryside, killing a number of terrorists, injuring many others and destroying their equipped vehicles.

Meanwhile, SANA reporter pointed out that an army unit destroyed with two guided missiles two heavy-equipped vehicles for ISIS in Tabarit al-Diba Hill.

Deir Ezzor

The Syrian Army air force destroyed ISIS positions and vehicles north of al-Mrai’eyeh, al-Howeiqa, Baqjaji and north of al-Jafra in Deir Ezzor.

Daraa

Army units carried out operations against dens and fortifications of Jabhat al-Nusra terrorists in Daraa al-Balad, inflicting heavy losses.

A military source said in a statement to SANA that an army unit destroyed a command center for Jabhat al-Nusra and killed a number of terrorists during accurate strikes against their gatherings in al-Naziheen Camp.

Another army unit destroyed hotbeds of terrorists during an operation against their gatherings and fortifications to the south east of al-Karak Tank, the building of LG Company , the surrounding of Um al-Daraj well in al-Bajabjeh district.

Sweida

An army unit striked a convoy of terrorists’ vehicles in the area surrounding Rami village in the eastern countryside of Sweida, destroying a number of vehicles, some of which were transporting terrorists while others were equipped with heavy machine-guns.

Source: SputnikNews
Syrian troops and popular defense forces (NDF), on Thursday, regained control over the town of Bluzah in the country’s northwestern Aleppo province, Iran’s Fars news agency reported on Thursday.

The victory by the army and popular forces came after fierce clashes with the terrorists over the town which is located south of Safira in Aleppo province.

Syrian army forces also inflicted heavy losses on the militants destroying their weapons and ammunition around a scientific research center west of Aleppo city.

Inside the city, an army unit destroyed the positions of al-Nusra Front and other terrorist organizations in Bani Zaid neighborhood, the agency reported.

During the operations in Jeb al-Safa village and al-Bab city in the northeastern countryside of the province, the Syrian Army destroyed a number of machinegun-equipped vehicles used by the terrorists, a military source said on Thursday.

During the past week, the Syrian Armed and allied militia forces have been making steady gains in the northwestern parts of the country, driving the militant groups back from more territories in the region.

Syrian fighter jets also have been targeting the militant groups’ positions in Aleppo province in recent days.