Syrian troops capture wide area on border with Jordan

Syrian government forces and their allies capture an area along the border with Jordan in their latest push against opposition fighters.

Syrian state TV reports the troops captured an area of 1,300 square kilometers (502 square miles) in addition to some strategic hills.

The opposition’s Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirms the push by troops, saying the government took advantage of a truce in nearby Daraa province to launch an offensive in the adjacent region of Sweida that borders Jordan.

The government-controlled Syrian Central Military Media says troops captured all the border observation points along 30 kilometers (18 miles) of the border with Jordan.

Syrian troops have captured wide areas around the country over the past year under the cover of Russian airstrikes.

— AP