The Syrian army is in full control of the highway from Damascus to ancient Palmyra for the first time since 2014 after driving out jihadists, a monitor said on Friday. But after major advances on Thursday night, the army now controls the direct road from the capital to Palmyra, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The jihadist group retook it in late 2016, but Russian-backed Syrian forces wrested back control in March. The desert, known as the “Badiya”, extends over some 90,000 square kilometres (35,000 square miles) and makes up about half of Syria’s territory. Kurdish forces and IS each control 21 percent of Syrian territory, with rebels left with just 12 percent, according to Balanche.

Source: Egypt Independent May 26, 2017 16:52 UTC