Syrian army captures key southern rebel town in Daraa

Syrian pro-government forces captured a strategic southern rebel town close to the Jordanian border

Syrian pro-government forces captured a strategic southern rebel town close to the Jordanian border after weeks of fighting, a monitor said on Tuesday.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Syrian army troops seized control of Sheikh Miskeen” with the help of Russian and Syrian government air strikes.

The town, in Daraa province, lies on a vital crossroads between Damascus to the north and the government-controlled city of Sweida to the east.

A day earlier, Syrian army sources said the army had taken control of more than 90 percent of Sheikh Miskeen.

The UK-based group said the clashes are now taking place outside the western parts of Sheikh Miskeen, which lies at a crossroads linking the provinces of Suwaida, Quneitra and Damascus to the southern part of the country.