DAMASCUS, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Syria's state media said Monday that Syrian government troops regained full control of the strategic al-Khalidieh district of the central province of Homs.
The army unleashed a wide-scale offensive last Saturday against the strategic district, which is one of the few districts left under the rebels' control in the Homs province.
Meanwhile, pro-government TVs aired footage of al-Khalidieh showing the city in great destruction.
The Syrian government troops have focused most of its efforts to secure Homs province. Its latest important gain was the recapturing of the city of al-Qussair on the borders with Lebanon last month.
Experts said the army is working on securing southern and central areas in Syria before opening a large-scale offensive to recapture the northern province of Aleppo, which has largely spiraled out of the government's control into the hands of al- Qaida-linked groups, mainly the Nusra Front.
The United Nations said recently that more than 100,000 people had been killed in Syria's 28-month crisis, with about 1.7 million forced to seek refuge in neighboring countries.
DAMASCUS, July 28 (Xinhua) -- Syria's Kurds are battling extremist groups in northern Syria in a drive to keep their areas safe and secure. Yet, speculations are high that the Kurds, who have for long suffered discrimination, harbor other intentions, mainly an autonomous enclave.
Since the outbreak of the conflict in Syria nearly three years ago, the Kurds have strived to keep the rebels out of the areas they control in order to avoid sparking a confrontation with the Syrian army and to ensure that their territory remained free of violence. Full story
DAMASCUS, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Syria's Foreign Ministry on Saturday hailed discussions between Damascus and a UN chemical investigation team as "inclusive and fruitful."
While stressing that the talks resulted in an "agreement about moving forward," the ministry spelled no further details. Full story
DAMASCUS, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Syria has moved 35 years backward in the human development index, with its already-sluggish economy cracking up due to the nearly three-year-old conflict, according to a report issued by the Syrian Center for Policy Research.
However, some economists said the pre-crisis governments were to be blamed for deteriorating economic conditions. Full story
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