Syrian troops take village in last rebel stronghold
BEIRUT -- Syrian troops captured on Monday a village in the last rebel stronghold in the northwest province of Idlib, while a government airstrike killed at least three people, opposition activists and state media said.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said the government forces had reached the village of Qassabiyeh under the cover of Russian and Syrian airstrikes. The pro-government Syrian Central Military Media also confirmed that village's capture.
The Observatory said the battle left 25 militants and 12 pro-government fighters dead.
The latest fighting began a month ago, when Syrian troops advanced into the enclave from the south and unleashed a wave of intense bombing. The violence has displaced tens of thousands of people. The area is home to 3 million people, and is already overcrowded with refugees from the war.
Idlib province is the last area standing in President Bashar Assad's way as he seeks a final victory against the armed opposition after eight years of civil war.
