Syrian army captured a key town in northern countryside of Aleppo province on Sunday, following battles with Islamic State group, according to state news agency SANA. Capturing the town of Tadef enables the Syrian army to secure transportation routes in eastern Aleppo, and constitute a base for launching attacks and undermining the presence of the IS militants in that part of the province, a general-command of the Syrian army said in a statement.

Start the conversation, or Read more at Xinhuanet. </s> Alwaght- The forces of Syrian national army take great step forward on their latest offensive against the ISIS terrorist group by entering the al-Bab city on Saturday.

Russian Defense Ministry said the offensive was supported by Russian airstrikes as the army retook the town of Tadef, the most reinforced position of ISIS near the city of al-Bab.

Based on the report, Syrian national army has reached the line they had agreed with the so-called Free Syrian Army as it was coordinated with Turkey.

"On February 11, during an offensive operation in the northwest of the Aleppo province, the Syrian Armed Forces, supported by aviation of the Russian Aerospace Force, have liberated from ISIS terrorists the populated locality of Tadef, the militants’ most reinforced position near the city of Al-Bab," the ministry said in a statement.

"The offensive operation resulted in the Syrian government forces’ approach to the contact line coordinated with the Turkish side," it said.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said that the government forces destroyed 650 militants, two tanks and four IFVs and 18 all-terrain vehicles with heavy weaponry and other equipment.

"Moreover, control has been regained over the road to Raqqa, along which ISIS military groups in the town of al-Bab have been supplied with weapons and ammunition," the Russian defense ministry said. </s> DAMASCUS, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Syrian army captured a key town in northern countryside of Aleppo province on Sunday, following battles with Islamic State (IS) group, according to state news agency SANA.

Capturing the town of Tadef enables the Syrian army to secure transportation routes in eastern Aleppo, and constitute a base for launching attacks and undermining the presence of the IS militants in that part of the province, a general-command of the Syrian army said in a statement.

The town is also located southeast of city al-Bab, which has recently been captured by Turkish forces and allied rebel fighters.

The Syrian army unleashed a wide-scale offensive in the northeastern countryside of Aleppo, after succeeding to wrest control over the city of Aleppo last December.

The offensive enabled the military forces to become in control of 600 km east of Aleppo.

Also, the army has laid a siege on the southern rim of al-Bab city, to secure the eastern part of Aleppo city from the IS attacks, or the possible advance of the Turkish-backed rebels.

Observers believe that there was a Russian-Turkish understanding for splitting the battles in al-Bab.

For the Turks, capturing al-Bab cuts the way in the face of the growing Kurdish influence in northern Syria, a red line drawn by Turkey.

For the Syrian army, laying a siege to al-Bab from its southern edge prevents IS fighters to withdraw toward other stronghold in eastern province of Deir al-Zour, or northern city of al-Raqqa, the de facto capital of the terror-designated group.

The Syrian government has always looked to the Turkish moves in northern Syria as an encroachment upon the sovereignty of the country, claiming that Ankara is capturing areas in northern Syria to build a wall, which could be a prelude to setting Ankara's long-demanded safe zones in northern Syria, near the Turkish borders. </s> Syrian government forces supported by Russian air strikes have retaken the town of Tadef, the most reinforced position of Islamic State near the city of Al-Bab, and reached the contact line with the Free Syrian Army as it was coordinated with Turkey, Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Feb. 11.

"On February 11, during an offensive operation in the northwest of the Aleppo province, the Syrian Armed Forces, supported by aviation of the Russian Aerospace Force, have liberated from ISIS terrorists the populated locality of Tadef, the militants’ most reinforced position near the city of Al-Bab," the ministry said in a statement.

"The offensive operation resulted in the Syrian government forces’ approach to the contact line coordinated with the Turkish side," it said.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said that the government forces destroyed 650 militants, two tanks and four IFVs and 18 all-terrain vehicles with heavy weaponry and other equipment.

"Moreover, control has been regained over the road to Raqqa, along which ISIS military groups in the town of Al-Bab have been supplied with weapons and ammunition," the Russian defense ministry said.

Earlier on Feb. 11, the Lebanese television channel Al-Manar said that Syrian government forces were at a distance of 1.5 km from Al-Bab, besieged in the north and west by Syrian opposition units supported by Turkish troops. In August 2016, Turkey launched a military operation in northern Syria, code-named as Operation Euphrates Shield.

Read more: Will 'friendly' fire deaths in Syria dampen Russian-Turkish relations? </s> The Russian Defense Ministry said on Sunday that the Syrian army supported by Russian aviation have destroyed a Daesh stronghold near the city of al-Bab in the Aleppo province.The Syrian army killed over 650 terrorists and terrorists' hardware in their operation to free the town of Tadif near al-Bab.According to the Russian ministry, Tadif which is located in Aleppo province's north-east wasAfter liberating Tadif, the Syrian army agreed with Turkey on a demarcation line with Ankara-backed Free Syrian Army opposition fighters."Daesh fighters in al-Bab used to receive arms and ammunition via the highway leading to Raqqa," the ministry said.Currently, the Syrian army is approaching al-Bab controlled by Daesh from the west and south, while the Turkish-led forces are attempting to advance into and liberate the town from the north and the east.On Friday, a military source told Sputnik that the Syrian government forces cut off the retreat path for Daesh from al-Bab.The Turkish military operation in Syria's al-Bab has entered the final stage . Turkey's units entered central al-Bab, the operation is being conducted in coordination with Russia to prevent clashes with Syrian government forces.Al-Bab is one of Daesh's last remaining strongholds near the Turkish border. Capturing the city is of strategic importance to Turkey in order to prevent the Syrian Kurds taking it and unifying their own territories. </s> The Syrian army and its allies made a sudden advance on Saturday and Sunday into areas held by Islamic State in northwest Syria, a war monitor said, as the jihadist group retreated after losing the city of al-Bab to Turkey-backed rebels on Thursday.

On Sunday, the army also took the town of Tadef, just south of al-Bab after Islamic State withdrew from it, state television reported. Earlier this month, a senior Russian official said Tadef marked an agreed dividing line between the Syrian army and the Turkey-backed forces.

The eastwards advance in an area south of al-Bab has extended Syrian army control across 14 villages and brought it within 25km (15 miles) of Lake Assad, the stretch of the Euphrates above the Tabqa dam.

Islamic State's holdings in northwest Syria have been eviscerated over recent months by successive advances by three different, rival forces: Syrian Kurdish groups backed by the United States, the Turkey-backed rebels, and the army.

By taking Islamic State territory south of al-Bab, the army is preventing any possible move by Turkey and the rebel groups it supports to expand southwards, and is moving closer to regaining control of water supplies for Aleppo.

Fighting in the area is continuing as the army and its allies advance, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said on Sunday.

Islamic State's loss of al-Bab after weeks of bitter street fighting marks the group's effective departure from northwest Syria, once one of its most fearsome strongholds, and an area of importance because of its location on the Turkish border.

Steady advances since 2015 by the Syrian Democratic Forces, the Kurdish-led alliance of armed groups, had already pushed Islamic State from much of the frontier by the middle of last year and have since then threatened its stronghold in Raqqa.

Turkey's entry into Syria's civil war via the Euphrates Shield campaign in support of rebel groups fighting under the banner of the Free Syrian Army was intended both to push Islamic State from the border and to stop Kurdish expansion there. </s> The Syrian army and its allies made a sudden advance on Saturday and Sunday into areas held by Islamic State, a war monitor said, as the jihadist group retreated after losing the city of al-Bab to rebels backed by Turkey.

By taking Islamic State territory south of al-Bab in northwest Syria, the army is preventing any possible move by Turkey and the rebel groups it supports to expand southwards, and is moving closer to regaining control of water supplies for Aleppo.

On Sunday, the army took the town of Tadef, just south of al-Bab, after Islamic State (also known as Isis) withdrew from it, state television reported. Earlier this month, a senior Russian official said Tadef marked an agreed dividing line between the Syrian army and the Turkish-backed forces.

The eastwards advance south of Tadef has extended Syrian army control across 14 villages and brought it within 25km (15 miles) of Lake Assad, the stretch of the Euphrates above the Tabqa dam.

Also on Sunday, the Syrian army and its allies made a new advance against Islamic State around Palmyra, coming to within a few kilometres of the ancient desert city that the jihadists captured in December.

Islamic State’s holdings in northwest Syria have been eviscerated in recent months by successive advances by three different, rival forces: Syrian Kurdish groups backed by the United States, the Turkey-backed rebels, and the army.

Fighting in the area is continuing as the army and its allies advance, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said on Sunday.

Islamic State’s loss of al-Bab after weeks of bitter street fighting marks the group’s effective departure from northwest Syria, once one of its most fearsome strongholds, and an area of importance because of its location on the Turkish border.

Steady advances since 2015 by the Syrian Democratic Forces, the Kurdish-led alliance of armed groups, had pushed jihadists from much of the frontier by the middle of last year, and have since then threatened its stronghold in Raqqa.

Turkey’s entry into Syria’s civil war, via the Euphrates Shield campaign in support of rebel groups fighting under the banner of the Free Syrian Army, was intended both to push Islamic State from the border and to stop Kurdish expansion there.

Syrian activists on Sunday called for the Assad government to engage in serious talks on political transition and for the United Nations to strengthen the fragile ceasefire as violence engulfed parts of the country.

UN mediator Staffan de Mistura said a militant attack in Homs on Saturday was a deliberate attempt to wreck the Geneva peace talks, while the warring sides traded blame and appeared no closer to actual negotiations.

“Our hopes are not high given the incidents on the ground and the continuous violations by the regime forces and its backers of the ceasefire,” Mutasem Alysoufi of The Day After Syria campaign, which supports a democratic transition, told Reuters in Geneva.

Warplanes bombed rebel-held areas around several Syrian cities on Sunday, including in the al-Waer district of Homs, and in towns around Damascus, the Syrian Observatory said. One person was killed in the Damascus suburb of Douma and three in al-Waer, according to the monitor, while shells and rockets were launched at insurgent districts in Deraa and Idlib provinces. Rebels fired several shells at a suburb of government-held Aleppo.

Under Security Council resolution 2254, Mr de Mistura is meant to develop a plan to monitor the ceasefire and sanction those who violate it, Mr Alysoufi said. “So this is a duty of the UN.”

On the government delegation led by Syrian ambassador Bashar Ja’afari, he said: “We believe that they are not serious to engage here in serious political discussion. Rather, they are gaining more time and continuing their military strategy on the ground.” </s> Air strikes kill at least four people in rebel-held areas of Homs and Douma, a day after deadly attack on army officers.

The Syrian government has launched attacks on rebel-held areas around several cities, including Homs and Damascus suburb, according to opposition activists and a monitor.

One person was killed in the Damascus suburb of Douma and three in the al-Waer neighbourhood of Homs in Sunday's air strikes, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), while shells and rockets were used in Deraa and Idlib provinces.

"Today's escalation began in the early afternoon with repeated air strikes," said Bebars al-Talawy, an activist based in al-Waer.

SOHR, a Britain-based monitor, said that in addition to the air strikes, al-Waer was being shelled.

The development came a day after the government-held part of Homs was subjected to multiple suicide attacks.

Also on Sunday, according to Syrian state media and monitors, the Syrian government forces seized the town of Tadef from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group on the outskirts of the northern city of Al Bab that is already under the control of Turkish-backed rebels.

"We will continue war on terrorist organisations whatever their names until security and stability are restored to every inch of the Syrian lands," the army said in a statement, according to the state news agency SABA.

SOHR reported that the government forces and allies entered Tadef just hours after ISIL, also known as ISIS, withdrew from there.

By taking ISIL territory south of Al Bab, the forces of President Bashar al-Assad is preventing any possible move by Turkey and the rebel groups it supports to expand southwards, and is moving closer to regaining control of water supplies for Aleppo.

Earlier this month, a senior Russian official said Tadef marked an agreed dividing line between the Syrian army and the Turkey-backed forces.

The eastward advance south of Tadef has extended Syrian army control across 14 villages and brought it within 25km of Lake Assad, the stretch of the Euphrates above the Tabqa dam.

The Syrian army and its allies also made a new advance against ISIL around Palmyra, coming to within a few miles of the ancient desert city that the group recaptured in December, according to SOHR and the government-controlled Syrian Central Military Media.

The SOHR said the government now controls hills that oversee three gas fields west of Palmyra.

Elsewhere in Syria, Jabhat Fatah al-Sham, a rebel group previously known as al-Nusra Front, killed and injured dozens of government forces on Sunday in an attack near the Lebanese border, according to SOHR.

The attack by Levant Liberation Body - part of al-Sham - targeted government positions in the northwestern part of rural Damascus, the SOHR said.

Founded in January, the Levant Liberation Body is headed by Jabhat Fatah al-Sham and includes four other groups. </s> On Monday morning, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) captured a new batch of villages in the eastern Aleppo countryside amid fierce clashes with ISIS militants in the region.

The advance was secured solely by the SAA’s Tiger Forces that have now imposed full control over the villages of Zarurah, Jubb al-Sultan, and Jubb al-Hamam.

Yesterday, the SAA captured a handful of villages from ISIS in the region but were mostly preoccupied with fighting off a Turkish Army assault on Tadef. The latter town is still under government control despite some reports to the contrary.

Due to today’s advance, the Tiger Forces are less than 5 kilometers from linking up with the Kurdish-led ‘Syrian Democratic Forces’ (SDF) near Manbij.

Both the SDF and SAA have clashed with the Euphrates Shield forces and ISIS in recent days; thus, a pragmatic alliance may be established.

Meanwhile, the Turkish Army are heavily shelling villages and towns held by the SDF in the region. Artillery strikes are ongoing on Al-Arimah and Sheikh Issa while some reports suggest the Turkish Armed Forces will soon begin an offensive to capture Manbij.
The Syrian Army recaptures the strategic town of Tadef from ISIL, south of al-Bab, securing key transportation routes in eastern Aleppo Governorate.