Heavy fighting erupted between army soldiers and armed terror groups in al Shomariye, al Rahmuniye and al Salumiye villages on Friday, where many civilians were brutally killed by terrorists since they occupied the region more than 9 months ago.
 

An army soldier told Al-Alam correspondent accompanying the group that some of the villages were already cleared but the army continues its operations to clear al Ghasaniya and its suburbs from insurgents.
 

Residents of the area cheerfully welcomed the army as they entered al Ghasaniya.
“We have been waiting for this moment so that we could go back to our homes and we thank the army for this,” a resident told Al-Alam.

The Army also carried out successful operations in the city of Hama, in Homs province, restoring security to eight villages and forcing terrorists flee the area.
 

Syria has been struggling with a Western-backed insurgency which began in March 2011 as a protest movement but turned to become a cover for terrorist groups including al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra Front.