ALEPPO (Sputnik) — The Syrian army backed by local militia launched a counteroffensive in north of the Hama province and retook one village, a source in the militia told RIA Novosti.
"The army and our units stopped the terrorists' offensive in northern Hama. We are advancing now. We freed the village of Maardes and moving to Tayyibat al Imam," the source said.
The source added that the militants were attacking the city of Muhradah to slow the Syrian army's advance.
On Wednesday, a representative of the local militia said armed groups of terrorists were trying to seize four villages located between the Idlib and Hama provinces. He also added, that militants involved in the fighting were from different armed groups, linked to Jabhat Fatah al Sham, formerly known as al-Nusra Front, classified as terrorist organization in Russia.
Syria has been mired in civil war since 2011, with government forces fighting numerous opposition groups, as well as terrorist formations, such as Daesh, prohibited in many countries, including Russia and the United States.