FILE IMAGE: mod.gov.sy
The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and the National Defense Forces (NDF) have retaken another village from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra, the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda) and its allied militant group, Jaysh al-Izza, in the northern Hama countryside.
After government troops took back Um Khazim, the SAA and the NDF advanced on the village of al-Balil which they liberated after a series of firefights. Now, clashes are reportedly ongoing in the area of Um Turaikiya.
If government forces are able to stabilize the situation in the area, this will be another failure for Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and its allies which had been seeking to use their offensive in northern Hama to stop the SAA progress on other frontlines.
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