Press TV- Syrian army troops have managed to liberate a string of villages from the clutches of the US-backed militants of Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the eastern parts of the Euphrates River near the border with Iraq, where the Kurdish-led forces are in control, reports say.
Syrian state television, citing military sources, reported that units of army troops freed a number of villages, including al-Janinah, al-Jeeah, Shamr al-Hesan and Havighe al-Maishiyah, from the gripof the SDF militant group in the eastern province of Dayr al-Zawr, near the Iraqi border, on Sunday.
The Kurdish-dominated SDF is composed largely of militants from the Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG), an anti-Damascus outfit regarded by Turkey as the Syrian branch of the outlawed KurdistanWorkers' Party (PKK).
The SDF militants, mainly active in the eastern part of the Euphrates River, are purportedly fighting against the remnants of the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group, which has already been driven out of all its urban bastions both in Iraq and Syria. However, Damascus regards them as unwelcome armed forces occupying parts of Syrian territory without the consent of the central government.
Syria's official SANA news agency reported that an agreement had been reached between the Syrian government and terrorist groups "in southern Damascus, in the areas of Yalda, Babila and Beit Sahem."
The evacuation accord is the latest in a string of such agreements that have seen the Syrian government retake areas near Damascus after the withdrawal of militants.
During the past few days, the Syrian army has recaptured large parts of the district of Qadam on Yarmuk's western flank.