Russia says 'terrorists nearly wiped out' of Syria's Western Ghouta

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday said Syrian forces had "nearly wiped out the terrorists" in the rebel-held enclave of Western Ghouta. Backed by the Russian military since 2015, the Syrian regime in February launched a massive offensive against rebels in the Damascus suburb, killing more that 1,600 civilians. "As a result of this anti-terrorism operation in Western Ghouta, terrorist elements have nearly been wiped out of this suburb of the Syrian capital," Lavrov said at press conference in Moscow after meeting UN Syrian envoy Staffan de Mistura.