A day before the planned peace talks in Geneva regarding Damascus and Syria, the Syrian pro-government forced to retake a key rebel-held town in coastal Latakia province.
Syria's government troops and militiamen pressed offensives both in the west and northwest of the country, with the goal to reverse gains made by insurgents last year. They are supported by Moscow's air power as well as Lebanese Hezbollah fighters and Iranian forces.
According to an article originally published by Reuters, "the recapture of the town of Rabiya in Latakia province has paved the way for an advance up to the border with Turkey, which supports insurgents fighting against President Bashar al-Assad, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights."
Rabiya is considered to be an important base for rebels in the northern Latakia. It ranks second after the town of Salma.
On the other side of the story, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said that both the United States and Turkey have prepared for a military solution against Islamic State in Syria in case the Syrian government and rebels "fail to reach a political settlement."
Meanwhile, Washington is wage an air campaign while Russia is separately striking Islamic State.
On another note, another article published by Reuters has stated that the peace talks have been stalled on partly over the question of who would represent the opponents of President Bashar al-Assad.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said he "expected clarity within a day or two, and expressed support for the United Nations envoy who has the tricky task of issuing invitations for the first talks in two years to end the 5-year-old civil war."
The war-torn Syria has been a result of a conflict that broke out after an uprising in 2011. As of latest statistics a total of 250,000 people have died while around 11 million has been displaced.
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