DAMASCUS: Syria's army on Monday was in complete control of the capital and its outskirts for the first time since 2012, after ousting the Islamic State group from a last pocket of resistance. On Monday, the army declared it had ousted IS from that zone, sealing its control of the capital. "The Syrian army announces today that Damascus, its outskirts and surrounding towns are completely secure," it said in a statement carried on official media. They were heading east towards Syria's Badiyah, the vast stretch of desert where IS still holds tiny slivers of territory. Before launching its anti-IS push in Yarmuk, Syria's government cleared out other rebels from the area with military drives and evacuation deals.

Source: Bangkok Post May 21, 2018 15:00 UTC