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View all search resultsSyrian troops capture key central town
Government forces have captured a central Syrian townthat has changed hands several times during the civil war, the military andactivists said Friday
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G
overnment forces have captured a central Syrian townthat has changed hands several times during the civil war, the military andactivists said Friday.
By retaking the town of Halfaya in Hama province, troops will be better positioned to defend nearby Christian and Allawite communities that support President Bashar Assad. Central Syria is a communal patchwork, with large communities of Christians, Ismailis and Allawites, who mainly back Assad, himself an Allawite, and fear Sunni extremists among the rebels.
The al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front is known to be active in Hama province and has been behind attacks in recent weeks on the historic Christian town of Mahradeh, which is west of Halfaya.
The latest victory by government forces came two days after President Barack Obama said for the first time that he would authorize U.S. airstrikes in Syria against the Islamic State group. Syria has criticized Obama's move because it was excluded from a coalition coming together in the battle against the extremist group.
