DAMASCUS: The Syrian troops Monday dislodged the rebels from a strategic area in the eastern countryside of capital Damascus, state media reported.
The troops recaptured the area of Dukhaniyeh, an inner-city slum that is intricately overlapping a cluster of pro -government districts in eastern Damascus, Xinhua quoted SANA as saying, adding the bomb squads have already started dismantling roadside bombs in the cleared area, and a number of tunnels dug by the rebels were also discovered by the Syrian troops.
The rebels attacked Dukhaniyeh last month in retaliation to the Syrian troops' wide-scale attacks against their positions in the eastern countryside of Damascus, mainly in the suburb of Jobar, which is a key rebel stronghold.
The Syrian army forces also advanced in Jobar Monday, capturing new residential blocks, the report added.