Damascus : The Syrian army was preparing to advance toward the city of al-Raqqa, the de facto capital of the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria, a monitor group said on Saturday.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the army was a few kilometres from the provincial borders of al-Raqqa, following the rapid progress it has recently achieved on the desert high way near the town of Athraya, Xinhua reported.
Advancing toward al-Raqqa will grant the Syrian army a foothold in that city for the first time since the IS terror group captured the al-Tabaqa airbase in 2014, the last government stronghold in the city.
In Aleppo, where the Syrian army is making strides against the foreign-backed militants, the Syrian state TV said the military forces captured the town of Tamura on Saturday.