Syrian troops press push against IS in Damascus
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Syrian state media say government forces and their allies are pressing an offensive against members of the Islamic State group in southern Damascus.
State-run al-Ikhbariya TV says the aim of Monday's government push is to isolate IS in the southern Damascus neighborhood of Hajar Aswad from nearby areas held by the extremists.
Hundreds of IS militants hold parts of the Palestinian refugee camp of Yarmouk and nearby Hajar al-Aswad in southern Damascus. The extremists agreed to give up their last pocket there on Friday but have yet to begin surrendering to government forces and relocating to IS-held areas elsewhere in the country.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitoring group, says 11 people have been killed in the offensive since the fighting began last Thursday. (AP)
Meanwhile, The European Union and the United Nations will co-chair a two-day international conference starting in Brussels from tomorrow (Tuesday) aiming to pump financial aid for Syrians and garner political support for UN-led intra-Syrian talks.
The conference will bring together participants from more than 85 countries.
The first day's meeting focuses on dialogues with NGOs from Syria and the region, which are expected to provide "concrete operational recommendations" to the ministerial meeting on the second day. (Xhinua)/AFP
