Syrian army captures key town from Daesh in Aleppo province

The Syrian army on Tuesday captured the town of Khafseh and the water stations in that area in the eastern countryside of Aleppo province in northern Syria, following battles with the Islamic State (IS) group, pro-government al-Watan online newspaper reported.

Capturing Khafseh from IS is crucial as the area contains the main water springs feeding the city of Aleppo with drinking water.

The 1.5 million inhabitants of Aleppo have been without drinking water for eight weeks, since the IS cut the water pumping into the city.

Meanwhile, the report said that happy demonstrations broke out in Aleppo city, celebrating the liberation of the town and the near return of the drinking water.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also confirmed the Syrian army's capture of the water stations of Khafseh on the western bank of the Euphrates River.

Citing what it called sources, the Observatory said the IS withdrew from the area under the attacks of the Syrian government forces and their advance in the eastern countryside of Aleppo.

The London-based watchdog group said Syrian government forces have become in control of 1,000 square km of the eastern countryside of Aleppo, as part of a wide-scale offensive unleashed on Jan. 17, 2017.

During its advance, the Syrian government forces reached the city of Manbij in the northeastern countryside of Aleppo, as the town is under the control of the Kurdish-backed Manbij Military Council (MMC).

Under coordination between Russia and the Kurdish fighters, the MMC handed over areas in the western countryside of Manbij to the Syrian army recently, to serve as a separation line between the Kurdish-led groups and the advancing Euphrates Shield, whose backer, Ankara, is aiming at dislodging the Kurdish groups from Manbij.

Also, the U.S.-led anti-terror coalition deployed forces near Manbij to keep the IS away and to separate the Turkish-backed group and the Kurdish-led one.

Source: Xinhua