Türkiye’s chief of general staff discusses Syria with UK counterpart, NATO’s Europe commander

By Esra Tekin

ISTANBUL (AA) - Turkish Chief of General Staff Metin Gurak discussed developments in Syria with his UK counterpart Tony Radakin in a phone call Sunday, said the Turkish Armed Forces.

Separately, Gurak and NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe Christopher Cavoli also discussed the latest developments in Syria.

Clashes broke out between Assad regime forces and anti-regime armed groups on Nov. 27 in rural areas west of Aleppo, a major city in northern Syria.

On Nov. 30, anti-regime groups took control of most of the center of Aleppo from regime forces, and on the same day, they gained control over all of Idlib province. Last Thursday, after fierce clashes, the groups took the city center of Hama from regime forces.

Anti-regime groups captured some settlements in the strategically important province of Homs, a gateway to the capital Damascus, and started to advance there.

On Friday, armed opposition groups launched an operation in Daraa province on Syria's border with Jordan and recaptured the city center from regime forces after clashes.

On Saturday, the entire province of Suwayda in southern Syria also came under the control of opposition groups. On the same day, local opposition groups in Quneitra also took control of the provincial center.

In Homs, anti-regime forces took control of the provincial center on Saturday.

Groups advancing against Assad regime forces entered the southern suburbs of Damascus later on Saturday. Regime forces also withdrew from the defense and interior ministries and the international airport in Damascus.

As anti-regime armed groups started to dominate the capital, the Assad regime on Sunday morning quickly lost all control of the capital.

Separately, in Operation Dawn of Freedom launched by the opposition Syrian National Army against the PKK/YPG terrorist organization in rural areas of Aleppo on Dec. 1, Tel Rifaat district’s center was liberated from terrorism.