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Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Syrian troops capture historic mosque in Homs
2013-07-28
Syrian government forces captured a historic mosque in the central city of Homs on Saturday, expelling rebel forces who had been in control of the 13th century landmark for more than a year and dealing a symbolic blow to opposition forces, state media said.

State-run news agency SANA quoted an unnamed military official as saying that troops took control of the Khalid Ibn Al Walid Mosque in the heavily disputed northern neighborhood of Khaldiyeh.

After capturing the strategic town of Qusair near the Lebanon border last month, government troops launched an offensive on rebel-held areas in Homs, SyriaÂ’s third largest city, late in June. They have been pushing into Khaldiyeh and other neighborhoods in the Old City that have been under opposition control since 2011.

The mosque, famous for its nine domes and two minarets, has been a symbol for rebels in the city that is known as “the capital of the revolution.” On Monday, government troops shelled the mosque, damaging the tomb of Ibn Al Walid, a revered figure in Islam. Five days later, they took the mosque.
Such piety...
“Units of our brave army have fully controlled the area of Khalid Ibn Al Walid mosque in the city of Homs,” SANA said, quoting the official.

A Homs-based activist who identified himself only by his nickname, Abu Bilal said troops entered the mosque area from the eastern side. He said regime forces now control more than 60 per cent of Khaldiyeh.

“There are very fast developments in Khaldiyeh,” Abu Bilal told The Associated Press via Skype. He said he has no further details from local rebel commanders about movements on the ground.

On top of its symbolic value, Homs is also a geographic lynchpin in Syria. The main highway from Damascus to the north as well as the coastal region, which is a stronghold of President Bashar AssadÂ’s Alawite sect, runs through Homs, and both rebels and the regime place a high strategic value on the city.
Posted by:Steve White

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