Syrian troops enter key rebel-held town amid airstrikes Syrian pro-government media and opposition activists say government forces have entered a key rebel-held town in the country's northwest after surrounding it from three sidesDAMASCUS, Syria -- Syrian government forces 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. Syrian troops were keeping a road leading west out of the town open, apparently to give insurgents a chance to withdraw. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said Syrian troops entered the western neighborhoods of Maaret al-Numan under the cover of intense airstrikes. Earlier in the day, Syrian troops captured nearby Kfar Roummah, a village that lies southwest of Maaret al-Numan, according to the Observatory. In August, Syrian troops captured another town that the highway passes through, Khan Sheikhoun.

Source: ABC News January 28, 2020 12:18 UTC