Syrian troops regain strategic district in Homs province

DAMASCUS, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Syria's state media said Monday that Syrian government troops regained full control of the strategic al-Khalidieh district of the central province of Homs.

The army unleashed a wide-scale offensive last Saturday against the strategic district, which is one of the few districts left under the rebels' control in the Homs province.

Meanwhile, pro-government TVs aired footage of al-Khalidieh showing the city in great destruction.

The Syrian government troops have focused most of its efforts to secure Homs province. Its latest important gain was the recapturing of the city of al-Qussair on the borders with Lebanon last month.

Experts said the army is working on securing southern and central areas in Syria before opening a large-scale offensive to recapture the northern province of Aleppo, which has largely spiraled out of the government's control into the hands of al- Qaida-linked groups, mainly the Nusra Front.

The United Nations said recently that more than 100,000 people had been killed in Syria's 28-month crisis, with about 1.7 million forced to seek refuge in neighboring countries.

We Recommend:
Dachshunds attend annual Wiener Dog Racing	Collective gay wedding held in Mexico City	Best photos of week (July 8 - July 14)
'Temple Collection' on display in India	Bastille Day military parade held in Paris	Indian new recruits attend passiong out parade
Anti- government protest held in Thailand	Mexico's Popocatepetl Volcano spews ashes	Egypt unrest continues in Cairo