Khalidiya was one of the most important battlefields in Syrian army operations in the city of Homs which was the epicenter of the bloody insurgency that has gripped Syria for nearly three years.

The army retook Khalid ibn al-Walid Mosque which was occupied by militants during the whole war and was their main base in the area.

The foreign-backed militants had announced before that the mosque was their last base and threatened to start suicide attacks if the army got closer to the mosque.

n the face of army advancements, militants had started to target civilians with car bombs and mortar shells in Homs. With the fall of their final base, threats against people are expected to be highly eliminated.

Homs is a vast province lying across Syria from east to west and has witnessed major battles between the army and insurgents during the crisis in Syria.

Army’s June victory in the battle for Qusayr, a town located near Lebanon borders, was a major breakthrough for Syria against thousands of militants pouring to the country through border areas in Qusayr.

The war in Syria started in March 2011, when pro-reform protests turned into a massive insurgency following intervention of western and regional states.

The unrest, which took in terrorist groups from across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, has transpired as one of the bloodiest conflicts in recent history.

As the foreign-backed insurgency in Syria continues without an end in sight, the US government boosts its political and military support to Takfiri extremists.

Washington has remained indifferent about warnings by Russia and other world powers about the consequences of arming militant groups.

SHI/SHI