Syria's army Sunday seized a key town from the Islamic State group in the east of Aleppo province, a military source said, nearing its goal of expelling the jihadists from the region. The capture of Maskana, on the western bank of Lake Assad, comes as part of a major Russian-backed military operation that began in mid-January to drive the jihadists from Aleppo province.
"Military units continue to advance in the east of Aleppo province and track down groups of Daesh terrorists," a military source cited by Syrian state media said, using the Arabic acronym for IS. "Security and stability has been restored to the strategic town of Maskana and a number of areas," the source added. Maskana was a key target for the Syrian army, and lies around 15 kilometres (10 miles) from neighbouring Raqa province, where the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces are expected to soon launch an assault on the IS bastion of Raqa city. Syria's army is not so far expected to play a role in that operation.