THOUSANDS of Syrian troops began a final push yesterday to lift the two-year Islamic State (Isis) siege of Kuweires airbase, east of Aleppo.

Army regulars, National Defence Forces militiamen and guerillas from Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement, backed by Russian warplanes, began the offensive against Isis forces in the early morning.

By the afternoon they had advanced half a mile north-eastwards to within two miles of the base, which lies north of Lake Jaboul, Iran’s Fars news agency reported. Dozens of Isis militants were killed in the fighting.

Recapturing the base would cut the Isis supply line along the major M15 motorway to the terrorist army’s positions east of Aleppo, Syria’s second city.

The road leads east along the Euphrates river valley to the city of Raqqah, the de facto capital of the Isis-held territory, and then to the besieged south-eastern city of Deir Ezzor.

Fars also reported that Iranian Revolutionary Guard Colonel Mostafa Ezzatollah Soleimani had been killed fighting in Aleppo province.

A young female journalist was killed yesterday by mortar fire from the Damascus suburb of Ghouta, near Douma, where rebels are keeping prisoners in cages as human shields.

Television and radio presenter Batoul Moukhles al-Warar died on her way to work at the Nour al-Sham station, Syria’s Sana news agency reported.

Her father, fellow presenter Moukhles al-Warar said his daughter’s death would increase their “steadfastness in the face of takfiri (false Muslim) terrorism.”

In the central province of Homs, the army said it had killed 25 terrorists and destroyed six armed vehicles in a battle near the town of Mahin, which was captured by Isis in a counteroffensive over the weekend.

The air force also bombed Isis fortifications in Mahin as well as in the nearby town of al-Qaryatain and two villages.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov announced yesterday that the Syrian government was ready for talks with opposition groups, in accordance with agreements at last week’s 18-nation Vienna conference.

Mr Bogdanov will meet UN special envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura today for discussions on the matter.
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