(Reuters) Hundreds of Syrian insurgents armed with rocket launchers and anti-aircraft weapons, including fighters from al-Qaeda's Nusra Front, seized the Assad regime's Brigade 82 base near the town of Sheikh Maskeen in Deraa province on Sunday. The base lies at the heart of a heavily fortified zone protecting the southern approaches to Damascus. The south is the last major stronghold of the mainstream, anti-Assad opposition, who have been weakened elsewhere by the expansion of Islamic State in the east and north. Nusra is fighting in the south alongside the Western-backed groups.
2015-01-28 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive