Syria military takes control of strategic village near Aleppo

Syria military has taken control of the strategic village of Handarat north of the city of Aleppo.

State media said Wednesday that the Syrian army, backed by popular forces, managed to fully liberate Handarat after nearly 10 days of fierce clashes with al-Qaeda-linked militants.

The strategic village was used by the militants as a major supply route into the northwestern city of Aleppo, parts of which is currently under the control of Takfiri terrorists.

A report by the official news agency, SANA, said government forces recaptured the village after “eliminating the last terrorist elements” inside it. The news agency showed images of jubilant Syrian soldiers celebrating the victory by waving their fists and guns in the air.

A militant patrols a frontline during the battle against government forces for control of the Handarat region, located just north of Aleppo, on December 18, 2014.

The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an umbrella propaganda group which works for the so-called opposition, confirmed the liberation of Handarat, saying that the government forces took the city back after clashes with both al-Nusra Front, the off-shoot of al-Qaeda in Syria, and the so-called Islamist brigades.

The Syrian army’s first attempt to retake the village and other major areas north of Aleppo had failed last year.

The observatory report said fighting was still underway around Handarat with the Syrian air force bombarding militants’ positions in the area.

The control over Aleppo, Syria’s major business town and the country’s second largest city, has been divided between the government and a range of militant groups.

The United Nations is still trying to mediate a local truce to facilitate the transfer of humanitarian aid into parts of the city, which is badly hit by the war.