Al-Qaida-linked militants advance in Syria's Idlib city

An array of jihadist groups advanced in Syria's northwestern city of Idlib, capturing most of the city's neighborhoods, a monitoring group reported on Saturday.

Over the past four days, the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front and allied militant groups captured 24 Syrian military posts and checkpoints in Idlib and took control over most of the city's districts, following ferocious battles with the Syrian government forces, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The UK-based watchdog group said the violent clashes are still ongoing between both warring sides in the streets inside Idlib, adding that the al-Qaida-linked militants arrested an Idlib-based Syrian journalist working for pro-government media outlets.

Tens of the militants, including commanders, were killed during the battles, which also killed tens of government forces and allied fighters.

Battles in Idlib, bordering Turkey, raged five days ago when the Nusra and likeminded groups unleashed a broad offensive for the capture of Idlib city and its outskirts.

The Syrian government forces also unleashed a counter offensive over the past two days to thwart the advancement of Nusra, while the later received reinforcement from other militant groups, which streamed into Idlib from Turkey.

On Friday evening, Syria's national TV said thousands of extremist militants streaming from Turkey into Syria were attacking Idlib and its outskirts, adding that the Syria army is "valiantly" confronting the wide-scale offensive.

The jihadist groups in Idlib, mainly the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front, are eyeing Idlib due to its strategic location near Turkey.

They aimed to establish their own version of Islamic Caliphate, akin to what their rival extremist group, the Islamic State (IS) militants, did when it captured the entire city of al-Raqqa in northern Syria and declared it their de facto capital. Endit