{"id":17022,"date":"2020-02-09T17:44:14","date_gmt":"2020-02-09T17:44:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/02\/09\/syrian-army-vows-to-keep-up-campaign-against-last-rebel-area\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T05:35:08","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T05:35:08","slug":"syrian-army-vows-to-keep-up-campaign-against-last-rebel-area","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/flashpoints\/2020\/02\/09\/syrian-army-vows-to-keep-up-campaign-against-last-rebel-area\/","title":{"rendered":"Syrian army vows to keep up campaign against last rebel area"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

DAMASCUS, Syria \u2014 Syria\u2019s military vowed on Sunday to keep up its campaign to regain control of the whole country, days after capturing large chunks of territory from the last rebel holdout in northwestern Syria. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Russia has heavily backed the Syrian government\u2019s offensive. The fighting led to the collapse of a fragile cease-fire that was negotiated with Turkey in 2018. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The advance of forces supporting Syrian President Bashar Assad into rebel-held areas of Idlib and Aleppo province has also sparked a largescale humanitarian crisis. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nearly 600,000 people have fled the fighting since December. Most of the displaced are living in open-air shelters and temporary homes in freezing winter conditions closer to the Turkish border. Half of the displaced are believed to be children. <\/p>\n\n\n\t