Russian airstrikes assist Assad’s military break 2-year ISIS siege on air base

It brought pro-government forces closer to the main highway that links Damascus to cities further north, including Aleppo, and builds on advances made with support by Russian air strikes.

The Kweiras air base, a major military base for Syrian troops in the northern province of Aleppo, had been under ISIS siege for more than a year.

The report said intense battles were raging in the city between the Syrian army and the armed militant groups, adding that the army units also clashed with the Islamic State (IS) group near the Thermal Station east of Aleppo.

Following the capture of the army base, the Syrian soldiers and their allies pushed towards the army terrain that is situated to the South of the helicopter fields, capturing half of the area.

The Syrian Army launched an offensive toward Al-Hader on October 17.

The group, which has a network of activists around the country, said a few 40 IS vehicles carrying fighters and ammunition were seen heading from the extremists’ stronghold in Raqqa province toward the neighboring province of Aleppo where the fighting with government forces is concentrated. The Syrian government gained control of areas south of Aleppo and continued to push forward.

Field sources said on Thursday the army purged militants from the villages of Kherbet al-Mazare, Kherbet Nazha and Kherbet Mshaweh in the Southwestern countryside of Aleppo.

Euronews reports that the army had fought its way into Kweires airbase near Aleppo freeing hundreds of military personnel hold up inside since 2013 and state television broadcast live footage for the airbase of a reporter announcing the news and playing victory songs.

The advances of the Syrian government forces against militants of Daesh and other terrorist groups have been expedited by the air cover provided by Russian Federation, which began a few six weeks ago. The conflict in Syria has killed over 250,000 and displaced countless others.