BEIRUT—Syrian government troops backed by Russian airstrikes recaptured a town in Aleppo Province from ISIS extremists on Thursday, Feb. 25, in a key advance just two days ahead of a U.S. and Russia-engineered cease-fire that is set to take effect in Syria.
In the rebel-held suburb of Daraya, opposition activists said the army escalated its attacks, dropping dozens of barrel bombs from helicopters on the devastated town located a few kilometers southwest of the Syrian capital, sending plumes of smoke rising into the sky.
Russia and the United States have set a deadline of midnight on Friday for the temporary cease-fire to take effect between the Syrian government and opposition forces. But fighting is expected to continue in many places, because the deal excludes groups deemed terrorist by the U.N. Security Council including ISIS and the al-Qaeda branch in Syria, the Nusra Front.
The town of Khanaser captured by the army Thursday was seized earlier this week by the ISIS group, cutting state forces’ access to the provincial capital, also called Aleppo, said the Syrian government and the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition monitoring group.
The SANA news agency said the army took Khanaser, around 50 kilometers (30 miles) southeast of Aleppo City, after three days of heavy battles and that intense fighting was still underway to reopen the road. On Tuesday, ISIS seized Khanaser and surrounding hills, severing the government’s main land route to the city.
In the push on Khanaser, the Syrian army and pro-government Shiite militias were backed by Russian airstrikes, the Observatory said.
