Syrian forces recapture key Aleppo town

Syrian military forces recaptured a strategic town following intense skirmishes with foreign-backed insurgents in Northern Aleppo Province. Following the heavy fighting on Thursday, Syrian Army soldiers regained control over the town of Khanasser, killing scores of opposition militants, Al-Alam reported. Khanasser was regarded as a key location, linking central Syria to the Aleppo Province. The foreign-backed militants had captured the town and a number of its nearby villages back in August, cutting off the army’s supply route to Aleppo. According to local press reports, at least 25 militants were killed during earlier clashes on Wednesday. This while the Syria-based al-Watan newspaper reported that the takeover of Khanasser would open the way for the flow of aid to the major city of Aleppo. The government troops have recently conducted successful clean-up operations across the country, inflicting heavy losses on the foreign-backed insurgents. Syria has been gripped by deadly unrest since 2011. According to a UN report, more than 100,000 people have been killed and millions displaced due to the violence in the nation. According to reports, the western powers and their regional allies -- especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey -- are supporting militants operating inside Syria to overthrow the government of Bashar al-Assad.