Victorious Syrian army takes full control of Aleppo areas

Syrian forces have managed to retake full control of four areas in the northern province of Aleppo after heavy clashes with foreign-backed militants.

The Syrian army on Monday recaptured several areas in the flashpoint province, including al-Zarzour, al-Naqarin and Talet al-Ta’aneh.

The new developments come as infighting among different foreign-sponsored militant groups fighting against the government of President Bashar al-Assad has spread across northern Syria over the past week.

Earlier on Sunday, the so-called Observatory for Human Rights said at least 700 people, including civilians, were killed during nine days of infighting among foreign-sponsored militants in Syria.

The NGO also said that militants from the al-Qaeda-linked Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) executed dozens of rival militants in Syria’s northeastern province of Raqqah over the past two days.

Syria has been gripped by a deadly conflict since 2011. According to reports, the Western powers and their regional allies – especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey – are supporting the militants operating inside Syria.