Syrian Troops Retake Christian Town from al-Qaeda

Al-Qaeda Took Town Last Week for 'Military Reasons'

After another round of fighting, the Syrian military has retaken the ancient Christian town of Sadad, ousting the al-Qaeda fighters who captured the town early last week.

Al-Qaeda took the town last Tuesday, killing nine locals after ordering everything into their homes and shooting anyone who was still on the streets after the order.

The town itself had no military or national police presence, but is close to some key Syrian military arms depots, which rebels said was the reason for al-Qaeda’s interest in controlling it.

For now al-Qaeda seems to have been ousted from the town itself, but the strategic value means that it is likely to be contested again going forward, leaving the locals, as with so many others nationwide, stuck in the middle of a civil war.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.