SYRIAN troops continued their advance to cut off al-Qaida militants in the north of the country yesterday, as Russia insisted Saudi-backed extremists were not recognised “negotiating partners.

Troops backed by local militias and Russian warplanes liberated the village of Hardatnin from the Nusra Front, al-Qaida’s Syrian affiliate.

They also advanced on neighbouring Ritan — just a day after taking Duwayr al-Zeitoun and Tell Jibin.

The advance puts the army within miles of linking up with besieged Zahraa, which in turn would cut off the Nusra Front-held Azaz supply corridor to Turkey.

Units around nearby Bashkoy village moved to cut supply lines to the rebel-occupied east of Aleppo, while fighting continued to capture a nearby power station from Islamic State.

Meanwhile in Abu Dhabi, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that envoys from the Army of Islam and Ahrar al-Sham would only be accepted at the Geneva peace talks in their “personal capacity” if they reject terrorism in line with UN security council resolution 2254.

Mr Lavrov said Russia and other mediators had evidence the two groups — among the largest in Riyadh’s High Negotiations Committee (HNC) — were co-operating with the Nusra Front.

In Geneva, Syrian delegation leader Bashar al-Jaafari reiterated his government’s willingness to negotiate despite the HNC’s demand for an initial ceasefire to allow its militants to resupply besieged positions.

“We came for the dialogue without preconditions, and we don’t accept preconditions from anyone,” he said.