Islam Times - Syrians ride first train across Aleppo after liberation

Islam Times - Hundreds of Syrians have traveled on the first train to run across the eastern part of Aleppo in the wake of the liberation of the major city.

The train made its journey between Jibreen station on the eastern outskirts to Aleppo's main Baghdad railway station on Wednesday.

The trip was the first since foreign-backed terrorists overran eastern Aleppo in the summer of 2012, dividing the city into a government-controlled west and the eastern part held by terrorists.

Men, women and children were seen peering out the train’s windows as they rode across the eastern districts after government forces purged them of Takfiri militants in December.

Syrian Transport Minister Ali Hamoud said the resumption of train services between the two stations came after "the victory of the heroes of the Syrian army, returning safety and stability to the whole city."

During the one-hour round trip, the extent of the damage caused by the conflict left the passengers astonished and prompted them to use their mobile phones to take pictures of the rubble.

The full carriages were decorated with portraits of President Bashar al-Assad.

Even people on the ground in the eastern side gathered by the rail tracks, gazing at the first train they had seen since 2012 and seeing the region coming back to life.

The official news agency SANA quoted Hamoud as saying that the line was reopened after less than 20 days of repairs.

He said 40 points of damage "from terrorism" were detected along the line.

The train services between Aleppo and other main cities, however, remain suspended.

Aleppo’s liberation is seen as a crushing blow to militants and their foreign supporters, who have been actively working to topple the Damascus government since March 2011.

The city was the last major urban area controlled by Takfiri terrorists. The latest gain puts Damascus back in control of Syria’s five main cities of Aleppo, Homs, Hama, Damascus and Latakia.