Roundup: Syrian forces recapture key town in Aleppo, tightening noose on rebels

The Syrian army and allied fighters recaptured a key town in the northern province of Aleppo on Thursday, a military source told Xinhua.

After recapturing al-Ramouseh, a southern suburb of Aleppo, the army has seized back all the territories lost to the rebels in August, and controlled the old road leading to the city of Aleppo, the source said on condition of anonymity.

The military units are currently removing roadside bombs and other explosives planted by the rebels to secure their positions in the area.

Earlier this week, the army wrested control over all military bases taken by the rebels in August, as part of a counter-offensive the army and its allied fighters from the Lebanese Hezbollah recently launched.

In August, Jaish al-Fateh, or the Army of Conquest, a coalition of rebel factions, mounted a major attack on government forces' positions in southern Aleppo, capturing a series of key military colleges, which serve as army bases, and breaking a siege laid to the areas it held in eastern Aleppo.

The military effort to retake fallen areas in southern Aleppo came as the world powers, such as Russia and the United States, were working to establish a broad ceasefire in Syria, despite no breakthrough yet.

Strategically located near the Syria's borders with Turkey, Aleppo was the country's largest city and its economic hub before the civil war. It has been a focal point of clashes between the Syrian army and rebels.

In the summer of 2012, thousands of armed militants stormed residential districts of Aleppo from its countryside, hitting the economic nerve of the Syrian government, which has repeatedly accused Turkey of supporting the rebels for undeclared interests in Aleppo.

The rebels captured several districts in eastern Aleppo and kept trying to expand their presence to government-controlled areas in the west.

They surrounded the western Aleppo after cutting the international road to the city in 2014, a siege broken later by the Syrian army, with the help of Hezbollah.

Military experts say the initial aim of the Syrian army's new battles in Aleppo is to besiege the rebel-held areas and cut off their supply lines to force a surrender.

Another aim is to ensure the security of government-controlled areas and to prevent the militant groups from blocking the main road connecting Aleppo with the Syrian coast and provinces in central and southern Syria.

However, observers say the Syrian military's campaign also aims to recapture areas in the northern and southern countryside of Aleppo in the face of Turkey's perceived attempts to establish a safe zone in northern Syria. Endit