Syria Troops Regain Control of Village 05/26 11:47

   DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) -- Syrian government forces regained control of a 
northwestern village on Sunday, just days after losing it to militants, state 
media and an opposition war monitoring group said.

   State TV said troops captured Kfar Nabudah before noon from militants, 
including members of al-Qaida-linked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group. The 
opposition's Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also reported 
that militants lost control of the village.

   The latest round of violence erupted late last month, wrecking a cease-fire 
brokered for the area by Russia and Turkey and raising fears of a wider 
government offensive.

   Some 180,000 people have already been displaced inside the rebel-held area 
that straddles most of northwestern Idlib province and parts of neighboring 
Hama. The U.N., the U.S. and others have called for an end to the violence.

   Government forces first captured Kfar Nabudah on May 8, then lost it on 
Wednesday. The village is located on the southwestern edge of Idlib, the last 
major rebel stronghold in the country.

   The Observatory said Syrian government forces carried out scores of 
airstrikes, and used barrels bombs and artillery shells to retake the village. 
It said the latest round of Kfar Nabodah fighting killed 28 militants, and also 
16 troops and pro-government gunmen.

   The initial capture of the village facilitated government troop advances to 
the west and north, leading to the fall of several villages.

   The Observatory, which tracks Syria's civil war, now in its eighth year, 
said that 766 people, including 226 civilians have been killing since April 30.


(KA)