Syria

Syrian army retakes northwestern villages from terrorists

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Syrian government forces continue to gain ground in their fight against foreign-backed armed groups, and have taken full control of two villages in the northwest of the conflict-stricken Arab country.

On Wednesday, Syrian troopers established control over the villages of Kafr Najd and Nahlia on the southern outskirts of the city of Idlib, located roughly 295 kilometers (183 miles) north of the capital, Damascus, Syria’s official SANA news agency reported.

A number of militants were killed and injured during the intense clashes with the Syrian forces.

The government troops also stormed militant hideouts and killed scores of terrorists from al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front and affiliated groups.

Syrian fighter jets also carried out several airstrikes in the villages of al-Mukbela and Kourin as well as the town of Sarmin in Idlib Province, destroying scores of armored vehicles and pickup trucks with heavy machine guns mounted on them. A large number of militants were also killed in the process.

The operation cut the supply lines of the terrorists from neighboring Turkey.

Moreover, Syrian army artillery fire destroyed militant hideouts in the town of Mantaf, located 25 kilometers (15 miles) south of Idlib.

Al-Qaeda-linked terrorist groups, including al-Nusra Front, seized control of Idlib in late March following days of heavy clashes with government forces.

Idlib is Syria’s second provincial capital to have fallen into the hands of militants following the fall of the northern city of Raqqah in March 2013.

The violence fueled by Takfiri groups in Syria has claimed the lives of over 215,000 people since March 2011, according to reports.

New figures show that over 76,000 people, including thousands of children, died last year.

Over 3.8 million Syrians have left their country since the beginning of the crisis. More than 7.2 million Syrians have also become internally displaced, according to the United Nations.

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