Fierce battles in central Syria amid Russian airstrikes

Syrian troops backed by Russian airstrikes seized control of a village in central Syria on Saturday amid fierce clashes with rebels in the area, part of a ground offensive launched earlier this week.

Syrian troops backed by Russian airstrikes seized control of a village in central Syria on Saturday amid fierce clashes with rebels in the area, part of a ground offensive launched earlier this week.

A frame grab taken from footage released by Russia's Defence Ministry October 10, 2015, shows what Russia says is smoke rising after airstrikes carried out by the Russian air force on the Islamic State in Aleppo province, Syria. Russia said on Saturday it had stepped up its bombing campaign against Islamic State militants in Syria.(REUTERS)

That offensive marked the first major air-and-ground assault since Moscow began its military campaign in the country on September 30. Russian officials say their airstrikes are targeting mainly Islamic State militants, but most of the strikes are hitting areas where the extremist group is not present.

The fighting is concentrated in Hama and the northern Idlib provinces, where a consortium of mainstream rebels as well as al Qaeda’s branch in Syria, the Nusra Front, are operating.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which relies on a network of activists across Syria, said government troops seized control of Atshan on Friday amid intense Russian airstrikes in the region. It said troops also seized the nearby Um Hartein village.

Syrian troops have faced stiff resistance from the rebels, who have used advanced US-made TOW missiles to attack Syrian tanks and armoured vehicles.

The Russian defence ministry said in a statement that Russian planes flew 64 sorties and targeted 54 sites in the past 24 hours, without elaborating. Among the sites attacked, it said, were command outposts in Aleppo and Idlib provinces.

Russia, a key ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad, has insisted its airstrikes are targeting the Islamic State group and other terrorists. But US officials said this week that Russia has directed parts of its air campaign against US-funded groups and other moderate opposition groups in a concerted effort to weaken them.

Heavy fighting was also taking place in the al-Ghab plain in Hama province - a natural barrier between areas controlled by Sunni Muslims and the Alawite sect to which Assad and many of his loyalists belong.