Photo by Sputnik

Syrian military, supported by the Russian Aerospace Forces and local militia, took control of the Ghmam settlement some 16 miles northeast of Latakia, a RIA Novosti reports.

In early October, the Syrian army regained control of the Ghmam settlement, but Nusra Front militants later seized it. The settlement was recaptured from the militants last week.

A Syrian army general responsible for the liberation of Ghmam told Russian journalists the settlement’s capture was complicated, as deep tunnels made by the militants surrounded it. Russian Aerospace Forces’ powerful bombs significantly damaged terrorist fortifications, according to reports.

Russian aircraft damaged militant artillery and prevented reinforcements, weapons and food from reaching the terrorist groups.

Ghmam’s strategic location allows for the control of a road connecting the Turkish border and the large Syrian cities of Idlib and Aleppo.