Syria rebels launch major offensive in north-west and gain territory

The rebels have reportedly taken several towns and villages in Aleppo and Idlib provinces since Wednesday.

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The Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and allied factions said they had seized control of a number of towns and villages in Aleppo and Idlib provinces since Wednesday.

The Syrian military said its forces were confronting a “large-scale” attack by “terrorists” and inflicting heavy losses on them.

A UK-based monitoring group said more than 180 combatants on both sides had been killed in the fighting. At least 19 civilians had also been killed in Syrian and Russian air strikes on opposition-held areas, it added.

More than half a million people have been killed in the civil war that erupted after the government cracked down violently on peaceful pro-democracy protests in 2011.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn5w0ype0vlo

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