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BEIRUT (AP) — State media and activists say Syrian troops have seized a northern village from the Islamic State group in an advance toward an air base besieged by the extremists for more than a year.
State news agency SANA says troops and pro-government gunmen captured the village of Sheikh Ahmad in Aleppo province on Monday.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said troops captured the village and advanced to a point some 2 kilometers (1.3 miles) from Kweiras air base. The Observatory, which relies on local activists, says troops advanced under the cover of Russian and Syrian airstrikes.
Breaking the siege imposed on Kweiras nearly two years ago would be a major success for government forces, which launched a multi-pronged offensive after Russia began carrying out airstrikes on Sept. 30.
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