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Syrian Regime and Supporters Break into Qaboun Neighborhood | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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A general view shows damaged buildings as seen from the rebel held Qaboun neighborhood of Damascus, Syria March 13, 2016. REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh


Beirut – Syrian regime forces and its supporting militias broke into Qaboun neighborhood, suburb of Damascus, concurrently as the regime and Russia were attempting to forcibly evacuate neighborhoods of Barzeh and Teshreen.

The regime forces later announced its complete control of Qaboun, yet the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) denied those allegations and confirmed that the opposition factions were in control of 20 percent of the neighborhood’s area.

Lebanese Hezbollah media announced that the Syrian army has completely controlled Qaboun neighborhood following a military operation launched on Saturday from three axes, north, east, and south after which the fighters fled the area through tunnels towards Harasta and Aarbeen. The army later destroyed the tunnels.

SORH announced that regime forces were able to achieve a new advancement from the northeastern side of Qaboun neighborhood at eastern outskirts of the capital.

The Observatory learned that the regime forces extended their control over the neighborhood thus tightening on the factions in the neighborhood Rahman Corps and members of the Islamic Movement of Ahrar al-Sham and Jaysh al-Islam.

Factions’ control in the area was reduced to 20 percent of the neighborhood’s area, according to the SOHR which added that the work in the tunnel connecting between outskirts of al-Qaboun, Teshreen and Barzeh neighborhoods was suspended about a month from now, because it was being monitored by regime forces.

Sheikhs and leaders of the neighborhood were negotiating with regime forces following fierce clashes between the armed fighters supported by the regime and Islamic opposition factions which ended in the regime’s advancement.

Qasioun News agency reported the Syrian opposition forces’ confirmation that they foiled the regime’s attempt to advance in Qaboon neighborhood.

The agency detailed that clashes broke out on Saturday’s dawn simultaneously while shelling with artillery and missiles, but the Syrian regime was unable to advance against the Syrian opposition.

Activists said that Syrian regime forces bombarded Qaboon with artillery and rocket launchers.

It is worth mentioned that escalation of Syrian regime forces and their supporting militias occurred at the time the second batch of Barzeh displaced citizens were exiting the town towards Idlib and first batch from Tehsreen.