Northern Hama countryside empty of Syria's rebels for 1st time since 2012

A Syrian soldier flashes the victory sign in the town of Khan Shaykhun in the southern countryside of Idlib province, Syria, on Aug. 24, 2019. The Syrian army on Friday fully secured the entire northern countryside of the central province of Hama for the first time since 2012, the state media reported. (Photo by Ammar Safarjalani/Xinhua)