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HEAVY fighting raged around the city of Idlib in north-western Syria yesterday as al-Qaida-affiliated forces pressed their offensive against the government stronghold.
Various armed opposition groups have advanced through the outskirts of the provincial capital since launching their campaign on Tuesday.
Rebels have long controlled most of the surrounding towns and countryside, but President Bashar al-Assad’s forces have maintained their hold on the city.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that rebels had seized at least 17 checkpoints and military outposts from pro-Assad troops, with at least 11 government fighters and 17 rebels killed over the past 24 hours.
The offensive is being led by several groups, including al-Qaida’s affiliate in Syria, the Nusra Front, as well as the ultra-conservative Ahrar al-Sham and Jund al-Aqsa groups.
The Nusra Front’s Idlib unit posted a photograph on Twitter yesterday purporting to show its black flag being raised over a captured government checkpoint north of the city.
