AL-QARYATAIN. April 8 (Interfax) - The Syrian government has a large part of the country's territory under control, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said.
"In the past six months, the government forces and the patriotic forces, with the aviation support from the Russian Aerospace Forces, liberated about 500 populated areas, tens of thousands square kilometers; the pro-government forces have a large part of the territory under control now," Konashenkov told a briefing conference in the Syrian city of Al-Qaryatain, the Homs province.