Retired army General Yahya Suleiman told Al Alam News Network on Tuesday that Syrian government forces are advancing in the suburbs of the country’s largest city, Aleppo to cleanse the city from militants.

General Suleiman added that the Syrian government forces began to flush out foreign-backed insurgents from around Damascus after drawing up a strategic plan to clear the whole country from militancy.

He said the army’s most important objective now is to eliminate militants in Aleppo after liberatimng the border city of Qusayr from armed groups. Qusayr was an important center and supply route for the armed groups.

On Monday, Syrian army forces clashed with militants as they advanced from three directions to free Aleppo and cut off insurgents supply lines in the north.

Army troops have also managed to block an insurgent assault on the Minnegh air base and Aleppo's Central Prison.

The Syrian army has scored victories against the militants in recent days, liberating the strategic towns of Qusayr, Qunaytirah and Daba’a in the west.

Syrian government forces also managed to retake control of several villages near Qusayr on June 7 and pushed the militants out of the central villages of Salhiyeh and Masoudiyeh.