Syrian troops target IS tunnels, trenches in Damascus

AP , Tuesday 24 Apr 2018

Eastern Ghouta
File Photo: A member of Syrian forces of President Bashar al Assad walks inside a tunnel that was used by rebels in Jobar, eastern Ghouta, in Damascus, Syria April 2, 2018 (Photo: Reuters)

Syrian state TV is reporting that government forces have launched a new operation targeting underground tunnels used by the Islamic State (IS) militant group in the capital, Damascus.

The TV says the aim of the operation is to destroy dug-out trenches and tunnels in the Hajar al-Aswad neighborhood and the nearby Palestinian refugee camp of Yarmouk that is also mostly controlled by IS.

A group of journalists taken on Tuesday to the adjacent neighborhood of Qadam witnessed intense shelling and airstrikes on IS positons in the camp and Hajar al-Aswad.

The area in southern Damascus is the last part of the capital not controlled by President Bashar Assad's forces.

Other insurgents in the area, including an al-Qaeda-linked group, have said they would relocate to rebel-held regions in northern Syria.

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