AhlulBayt News Agency - The attack was launched by an alliance of Islamist insurgents known as Jaish al-Fatah, including rebels from Jabhat Al-Nusra (Syrian Al-Qaeda group) and Harakat Ahrar Al-Sham captured the strategic towns of Khan Touman and Al-Khalidiyah on Thursday night after a violent battle with the Syrian Arab Army (SAA), Hezbollah, and Harakat Al-Nujaba (Iraqi paramilitary).
Initially, the Syrian Armed Forces and their allies were able to repel the Jihadist advances at Khan Touman and Al-Khalidiyah; however, they were unable to hold on for long after the Jabhat Al-Nusra and Harakat Ahrar Al-Sham overwhelmed them with sheer numbers.
In addition to capturing Khan Touman, the extremist rebels also seized Tank Hill, which is located directly east of these towns.
The so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 73 people had been killed in the battle for Khan Touman, some 15 km (9 miles) southwest of Aleppo in a location near the Damascus-Aleppo highway. While multiple rebel sources said it had been captured, a Syrian army source denied Khan Touman had fallen. The group put the number of government dead at 30 and rebels killed at 43, with dozens of wounded on both sides.According to a Syrian military source, the SAA lost a total of 17 soldiers during the battle while the total casualties from Hezbollah and Harakat Al-Nujaba are currently unknown. The source added that 30+ terrorists rebels were killed, including the commander of Jund Al-Aqsa (Syrian Al-Qaeda group) “Abu ‘Aisha.” The capture opens up an alternate supply route to rebel-held areas of the city, connecting it to areas of Idlib that are also opposition controlled.
Syrian government forces have been trying to encircle rebels in the city by cutting them off from supply routes in the north.
Fighting is still ongoing in southern Aleppo; however, the loss of Khan Touman is devastating for the government forces because of its proximity to the Aleppo-Damascus Highway (M-5 Highway).THE AGENCIES
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