SYRIAN government troops have driven Isis out of dozens of settlements and 100 square miles of territory north-east of Aleppo in the past three weeks, the army said yesterday.

The armed forces’ general command said the offensive launched 20 days before, with support from the government’s foreign allies, had freed “more than 32 towns and farms with a total area of 250 square kilometres with a 25km front and a depth of 16km, establishing control over Aleppo to al-Bab highway with a length of 16km.”

On Wednesday night, Isis tried to storm the village of Rasm al-Sarhan, east of Kweires air base and south of al-Bab.