Syrian troops recapture key Damascus suburb

Syrian troops Thursday recaptured a key suburb east of Damascus after month-long battles with militant groups.

According to officials, the troops took control of al-Mlaiha suburb early Thursday, Xinhua reported.

Al-Mlaiha was one of the first suburbs in the eastern countryside of Damascus to fall to the rebels, prompting the Syrian troops to lay a siege on the area along with other restive suburbs of Damascus before unleashing a crushing offensive recently to recapture the town.

The army's victory in al-Mlaiha would have an important impact on the battles in the countryside of Damascus, following the government troops' successive victories in the northern countryside of the heavily fortified capital.

Seizing the town will also deter the rebels' mortar fire from that area against nearby areas, such as the Christian districts of Qassa and Bab Touma as well as the suburb of Jaramana, which has been plagued by daily mortar attacks from the rebels of al-Mlaiha.

Many people have been killed in Jaramana as a result of the indiscriminate shelling.