Syria Troops Make More Gains in Aleppo, Near Turkish Border

Syrian army troops recaptured a new village north of Aleppo Monday, bringing troops and allied militiamen to within a few kilometers of the Turkish border as part of a major Russian-backed offensive in the area

In this photo released on Tuesday, Jan 12, 2016, by the Syrian official news agency SANA, shows Syrian government troops and allied militiamen walk inside the key town of Salma in Latakia province, Syria. SANA via AP

BEIRUT—Syrian army troops recaptured a new village north of Aleppo Monday, bringing troops and allied militiamen to within a few kilometers of the Turkish border as part of a major Russian-backed offensive in the area, the Syrian government and opposition activists said.

State-run news agency SANA said army troops took control of the village of Kfeen in the northern countryside of Aleppo “after wiping out the last group of terrorists there.”

Syrian government forces walk in the village of Jabboul on the eastern outskirts of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo after taking control of the village from Islamic State (ISIS) group islamists on Oct. 24, 2015. George Ourfalian/AFP/Getty Images