The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and the National Defense Forces (NDF) have liberated 17 villages from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (formelry Jabhat al-Nusra, the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda) since the start of the advance west of the Ithriyah-Khanasser-Aleppo highway earlier in November.
The SAA and the NDF have liberated Rasem al-Kabbara, Rashadryan, Ramlah, Rasm al-Abyad, Aziziyah, Abisoh, Abu Miyal, Mrayjeb, Jubb al-Abyad, Khirbat Rasm al-Ahmor, Abu Laffah, Hasrat, Rasm al-Ahmer, Rasm Sawan, Dush, Sarha and Abu al-Gher.
Thus, government forces significantly expanded the buffer zone near the strategic highway and set a foothold for further operations against militants in western Syria. The mid-term goal of the SAA in the area is the town of Abu al-Dhuhur.
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