The al-Hajar al-Aswad District is seven kilometers to downtown Damascus. The government troops on April 19 began its military operation to take back the district, along with the adjacent Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp which were occupied by extremists, using airstrikes and intensive cannon and rocket strikes.
Earlier in the day, The Syrian government denied reports that the government forces observed a brief ceasefire with extremists on Sunday.
It stated that the government forces only implemented a short-term moratorium so that women, children, and the elderly could withdraw, and resumed cleanup operations on the afternoon of Monday, eventually ending the extremists' presence in the capital and its surrounding areas.
The recapture of al-Hajar al-Aswad District marks the complete liberation of Damascus for the first time since 2011. The government forces will continue to sweep houses and tunnels for hidden suicide attackers and snipers.
Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. The Syrian government says the Israeli regime and its Western and regional allies are aiding Takfiri terrorist groups that are wreaking havoc in the country.
