Syria gains ground against ISIL

Militant positions have been pounded by Syrian army's intensive air and ground attacks in various parts of eastern al-Ghouta, mainly in Jobar.

The Syrian’s army main command has two major goals in the region -- stopping militants from attacking Damascus and gaining access into militant-held towns.

Eastern al-Ghouta is considered the main stronghold for militants east of Damascus.

The nearby secure towns of Kabbas and Dukhaniya were attacked by the militants causing all their residents to be displaced.

Reema, one of those driven out by armed groups told a Press TV correspondent, “At 6 a.m. militants attacked the neighborhood. They were raising black flags, they forced us out of our homes along with 400 civilians. We wore coats in a hurry over our pajamas, we were taken to Douma through Ein Tarma valley, we crossed through their secret tunnels to where we were kept for hours, inside a school, where they make explosives. They released some people later on...”

Fierce street fighting continues in Dukhaniya, located south of Ein Tarma.

Syria has been gripped by deadly violence since 2011, with ISIL Takfiri terrorists currently controlling parts of it mostly in the east.

The Western powers and their regional allies -- especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey -- are reportedly supporting the militants operating inside Syria.

More than 191,000 people have been killed in over three years of fighting in the war-ravaged country, says the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), calling the figure a probable “underestimate of the real total number of people killed.”

HK