MOSCOW, July 29. /TASS/. The Syrian army backed by National Defense Forces militias have recaptured the hilltop of Tal Malah in northwestern Hama from terrorists, the Al-Masdar news website reported on Monday. According to Al-Masdar News, during their offensive operation, Syrian troops also regained control of the inhabited community of Jibeen.

Since the beginning of June, Syrian troops have recaptured the area from terrorists twice. However, a few days later, they had to retreat under the onslaught of superior enemy forces to prevent heavy losses.

The army and militias are confronted in the area with militants from Jabhat al-Nusra (outlawed in Russia) and Jaysh al-Izza extremist groups.

In the neighboring Latakia Governorate, the Syrian army’s elite units and armored vehicles attacked the militant outpost in the city of Kabani. According to the news website, troops have launched an offensive on the southern sector of the front seeking to capture the areas controlled by the Turkistan Islamic Party, an extremist organization consisting of Uighur mercenaries.

Militants fighting alongside Jabhat al-Nusra penentrated into Syria in 2012 through the mountainous terrain on the border with Turkey. They have attacked inhabited communities in Latakia Governorate on numerous occasions.