Syrian troops fully recapture strategic town

Syrian troops on Wednesday fully recaptured a contested town in the northern province of Aleppo, dislodging the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front and likeminded groups from that strategic point, the state news agency SANA reported.

The strategic town of Handarat, about five km north of Aleppo, was captured after the Syrian troops eliminated the last remnants of the "terrorist groups," SANA said, spelling no further details.

Intense battles have been taking place in that village, which sits on the road connecting Aleppo to neighboring Turkey. The village almost fell to the rebels there on March 9.

Recapturing Handarat is crucial for the Syrian army to tight the noose on the rebels inside Aleppo city, due to its proximity to the Alcastelo road, the last remaining supply line for the rebels from the northern countryside of Aleppo to the city itself.

In recent weeks, the Syrian troops intensified their attacks in the northern countryside of Aleppo in a bid to lay a siege on rebel-held areas inside the city of Aleppo to isolate them from the province's countryside, which is adjacent to the Turkish borders where the rebels are getting their support. Endit