* Planned election follows major gains for Assad's forces * Rebels driven from central Syria, but most provinces contested * Foreign fighters on both sides complicate picture By Dominic Evans and Mariam Karouny BEIRUT, May 18 (Reuters) - From his base in Damascus, Bashar al-Assad can contemplate a broad sweep of Syria clawed back from rebels who once threatened to drive him out. Powerful foreign allies have helped Assad hold or retake a chain of cities which form the **rth-south backbone of the country, keep his grip on the Mediterranean coast to the west and restore control over the Lebanese border. The culmination of that slow, grinding military turnaround came last week with the final withdrawal of rebel fighters from Homs city, a month before the presidential election in which Assad faces ** serious challenge. One of the two candidates officially approved to run against Assad said the overwhelming majority of Syrians would be able to vote, downplaying the fighting that still kills around 200 people a day and the almost three million who have fled.
05-19-2014, 01:53 PM
Street by street, Assad extends grip in central Syria
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