Syrian army captures new areas in western Aleppo countryside

Following battles with the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front, the Syrian forces captured the Rashidin-5 area, as well as rebel-held military bases and arms depots in the western countryside of Aleppo, SANA said.
The Syrian forces destroyed the first defense line of the rebels with the help of heavy artillery fire against the rebels' positions before entering the areas.
Citing a military field officer, SANA said the military operation is continuing against the ultra-radical rebels.
The Syrian army has recently declared the launch of a military offensive against the rebels in the western countryside of Aleppo Province to help prevent the rebels' mortar fire from reaching the residential neighborhoods in the provincial capital city.
The military campaign in western Aleppo comes in tandem with a military offensive against the rebels in nearby Idlib Province, where the Syrian army is making strides in the battles against the rebels.
The aim of the simultaneous attacks is to secure the road connecting Aleppo in the north and the capital Damascus in the south through Idlib.