Syrian army pulls back to 10 km from Damascus; Druze militias overrun bases near Jordan

Syria’s military has withdrawn from positions in the Damascus countryside roughly 10 kilometers (six miles) from the capital, a war monitor says, as rebel forces press their offensive on government-held territories.

“Regime forces pulled out of towns in the southwestern Damascus countryside, 10 kilometres from the capital Damascus, which have been seized by local fighters,” Rami Abdel Rahman, who heads the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor says.

Rebel commander Hassan Abdel Ghani, with the Islamist-led alliance that launched the offensive in the country’s northwest, says that “our forces were able to control the Saasaa [security] branch in the Damascus countryside. The advance towards the capital continues.”

Meanwhile, Druze militias have overrun most of the army bases in Syria’s southern province of Suweida along the border with Jordan, leaving one major base north of the city of Suweida, Druze militia sources tell Reuters.

Khalkhala air base, north of the provincial capital in the mainly Druze-populated region, remains under army control, with forces regrouping there. The headquarters of the army’s special forces unit in the city saw mass desertions, they add.

Hundreds of army troops were now sheltering in Druze community halls, the sources say.