Syrian troops enter key rebel-held town amid airstrikes

Syrian government forces have been on the offensive for more than a month in the northwestern Idlib province, the last rebel stronghold in the country. Al-Qaida linked rebels control much of Idlib province and small parts of the adjacent area in Aleppo.

Maaret al-Numan: Syrian government forces on Tuesday entered a key rebel-held town in the country's northwest after surrounding it on three sides, sending thousands of people fleeing to safety in areas farther north, opposition activists and pro-government media said.

Footage from Syrian TV on Tuesday showing army canons firing, tanks and troops advancing against insurgents in Idlib province.

The push into the town of Maaret al-Numan in Idlib province came as Syrian forces were also advancing against insurgent positions west of the city of Aleppo according to state media and opposition activists.

The town of Maaret al-Numan, which has been in rebel hands since 2012, sits on the highway linking Damascus with Aleppo. Syrian troops were keeping a road leading west out of the town open, apparently to give insurgents a chance to withdraw.

Syrian government forces have been on the offensive for more than a month in the northwestern Idlib province, the last rebel stronghold in the country.

But in recent days, the government captured more than a dozen villages in the area as the insurgents' defences began to crumble.

Al-Qaida linked rebels' control much of Idlib province and small parts of the adjacent area in Aleppo.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said Syrian troops entered the western neighbourhoods of Maaret al-Numan under the cover of intense airstrikes.

With inputs from AP