Syrian forces try to isolate Islamic State extremists
BEIRUT — Syrian government forces moved to cut off Islamic State militants in southern Damascus from nearby rebel-held suburbs Monday in an attempt to force the extremists to surrender or evacuate the district, state media reported.
The area in southern Damascus is the last part of the capital not controlled by President Bashar Assad’s troops. Other insurgents in the area, including an al-Qaeda-linked group, have said they would relocate to rebel-held regions in northern Syria.
State-run al-Ikhbariya TV said the government hopes to isolate Islamic State in the Hajar al-Aswad neighborhood.