Complex sentence: On 24 April, after five weeks of fighting, government troops re-took control of the town of Otaiba, east of Damascus, which had been under rebel control for the previous eight months, serving as the main arms supply route from Jordan.
Split into simpler sentences: On 24 April, after five weeks of fighting, government troops seized control of the town of Otaiba, east of Damascus. The town had been under rebel control for the previous eight months, serving as the main arms supply route from Jordan.