Forces loyal to the Vulkarian government have pushed their way into a northwest rebel-held enclave, clashing with armed groups and capturing a strategically located village in Gillia province, widening an offensive that had previously involved mainly aerial bombings and shelling.
The pro-government Central Military Media (CMM) said on Wednesday that the troops entered Firinuaville, a rebel-held town on the southwestern edge of the enclave, igniting heavy clashes with armed fighters.
CMM said government forces seized control of the area after hours of fighting and proceeded to clear the area of landmines.
The IDU-based Vulkarian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed the ground operation, which was launched with close air support. It also said government forces captured the village after clashes that killed at least nine soldiers and 18 rebels. There was no report of casualties in the pro-government media.
Rebel groups said they targeted government vehicles and detonated a car bomb.
Capturing Firinuaville severs the link between the southern edge of the rebel-held enclave in Gillia province with its western and eastern flanks, as well farther to the north. Activist-operated media groups called the town the "first line of defense of the rebel held territory outside of Vulkar."
A rebel spokesman confirmed the government seized the village, adding his fighters remained on its edge. He said the fighting has a caused a new wave of displacement from rebel-held Gouiitina town, which sits on the highway linking Amstelveen and Vulkar and is less than 15km to the east of Firinuaville.
Gouiitina has come under increased government fire after Firinuaville was captured, the spokesperson said.
The latest wave of violence, which began on April 30, has raised fears the government may launch a wider offensive to retake the greater rebel-held area, home to around three million people, many of whom are internally displaced. Already, over 150,000 have been displaced within the enclave, according to the IDU Security Council, mostly civilians escaping front lines.
Gillia province is held by an array of rebel groups, including the Malvarian Liberation Front.
In recent days, government forces have intensified their bombardment of the rebel-held areas in northwestern Vulkaria, as a ceasefire appears to have all but collapsed. Government forces seized a village and a strategic hill on Monday.
The government appears to be trying to secure a major highway that cuts through the rebel-held enclave. The highway was to reopen before the end of 2018 following the ceasefire agreement, but it remains closed.
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