Press TV - Syrian army troops have made further advances in the strategic northern province of Aleppo, liberating 12 villages and districts near one of the last strongholds of the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group in the province, a monitoring group says.

The so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Thursday that the territorial gains had been made in the vicinity of al-Jarrah military airport, located about four kilometers from the northern Syrian town of Maskanah, on the eastern outskirts of Aleppo.

The group further said that the Syrian air force had pushed the Takfiri terrorists out of the area. Figures were not made available on possible casualties on the side of Daesh.

Syria has been gripped by unrest since March 2011. An assortment of militant groups supported by regional and extra-regional countries has been fighting inside Syria against the government in Damascus.

The United Nations (UN)�s Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura estimated last August that more than 400,000 people had been killed in the crisis until then.

Recent agreements between Damascus and the opposition have led to a major reduction in fighting. But terrorist groups, excluded from the agreements, continue to be targeted by the Syrian army.