Syrian troops have retaken the strategic Abu al-Duhur military airport, located deep within the country’s final major pocket of rebel territory that was recently split in two by the pro-government offensive.

After declaring victory over the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) late last year, the Syrian military, backed by Russian warplanes and Iran-backed, Shiite Muslim militias, launched a rapid push into the northwestern province of Idlib, the final bastion of support for rebels that have tried to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad since 2011. The latest win at Abu al-Duhur came after more than 100 villages and towns were secured in the mostly insurgent-held region, giving Assad more leverage as his Russian and Iranian allies sought to negotiate a political solution to the conflict.

Related: Will U.S. Take a Side in War Between Two of America’s Allies in Syria?

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“After a series of qualitative operations, units of our armed forces, in cooperation with partnered and allied forces, successfully carried out their military operations and took control of the Abu al-Duhur military airport in the southeastern countryside of Idlib,” a spokesman for the Syrian army and armed forces’ general command said Sunday in a statement.

“The General Command of the Army and Armed Forces affirms its determination and persistence in continuing to execute its national duty of eliminating terrorism, thwarting the schemes of its supporters and sponsors and restoring security and stability to all territory of the Syrian Arab Republic,” he continued……………more here