Syrian army breaks years of siege on military airbase in Aleppo

Syrian military forces on Tuesday have managed to break up years of besiege on a northern airbase after intense battles against the Islamic State (IS) militant group, a military source told Xinhua.

The army units broke the siege and reached the trapped soldiers in military housing units, a military academy and the Kweiris airbase, which has been besieged by the IS militants and other rebel groups in the eastern countryside of the northern province of Aleppo, the source said on condition of anonymity.

Meanwhile, the state-run TV said large numbers of the IS militants were killed.

The military achievement came just days after the Syrian army and loyal fighters recaptured their only supply road to the northern city of Aleppo.

The Syrian forces retook control of the key road connecting Aleppo and towns of Salamiyeh, Aathrayya, and Khanaser after battles with IS militants, who recently attacked Khanser to cut the government forces' only supply route to Aleppo.

In mid-October, Syrian forces backed by Russian air strikes unleashed a large-scale offensive in the southern countryside of Aleppo, after starting a broad offensive in Homs province in central Syria.

The military has recaptured the Tank Battalion and many villages south of Aleppo, with help from Russian-Syrian joint air raids.

The aim of the military campaign in Aleppo was to secure the international road to the city and to break the IS-imposed siege on the Kweiris airbase in southern Aleppo. Endite