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Syrian airstrikes kill 20 militants in Aleppo

Xinhua, January 17, 2016 Adjust font size:

Syrian airstrikes against militant positions in Syria's northern province of Aleppo killed at least 20 rebels on Saturday, pan-Arab al-Mayadeen reported.

The Syrian air force targeted positions of the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front and the Turkey-backed Ahrar al-Sham Movement rebel group in the northern countryside of Aleppo, killing 20 of them, according to the report.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based watchdog group, said the Syrian army killed 16 Islamic State (IS) militants in the eastern countryside of Aleppo on Saturday.

Also in Aleppo, eight people were killed Saturday when rebels fired mortar shells into government-controlled areas in that city.

The Syrian troops backed by its allies have recently opened a wide-scale ground operation, unleashing simultaneous attacks against the positions of the Islamic State (IS) and other jihadist groups on seven fronts in the countryside of Aleppo, a military source in Aleppo told Xinhua.

The fresh broad offensive of the Syrian army in that key province near Turkey aims to enable the Syrian army to gain as much ground as possible ahead of the Jan. 25 peace talks between representatives of the Syrian government and the opposition groups in Geneva. Endit