Syria forces recapture key city near Damascus

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Syrian government forces Saturday took control of the sprawling city of Adra north of the capital Damascus, media reported.

In a statement, the Syrian military said the recapture of Adra came after "a series of precise and focused operations", adding that the troops were currently hunting down remnants of the "terrorist" groups in the surrounding orchards, Xinhua reported citing the state news agency SANA.

Adra is administratively part of Damascus's sprawling suburb of Douma which has for long fallen to an array of rebel militias.

The military's general command said that recapturing Adra was crucial, given its strategic location as one of the entrances to Damascus that also overlooks the international highway connecting the capital with the central and northern regions in Syria.

The military statement said the victory in Adra is part of the ongoing wide-scale offensive the Syrian troops have recently waged to clean the eastern and northern countryside of Damascus of the rebels.

Earlier in the day, opposition activists said the rebels had withdrawn from Adra towards rebel-held Douma.

The Syrian army is ramping up pressure on armed rebels across Syria to showcase power and ability to be a vital part in the war against terrorism, despite the fact that the US-led anti-terror coalition, which has started its airstrikes against radical groups in Syria earlier this week, has publicly denied any coordination or cooperation with Damascus in the war on terror groups.