Syrian army takes control of strategic village north of Aleppo
Syria's military took control of a village north of partly insurgent-held Aleppo Wednesday, state media and activists said, giving it increased control of an area which armed groups have used as a supply route into the city, Reuters reported.
The army, backed by militia, took Handarat after 10 days of fierce fighting with Nusra and other Islamist brigades, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which tracks the war using sources on the ground.
The army closed in on Handarat and other areas north of Aleppo late last year in a bid to cut off supply lines. Fighting was still raging in and around the village Wednesday, the Observatory said, and the airforce carried out several strikes.