BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian activists say government troops have captured a northwestern village known for its medieval fortress as they move deeper toward Idlib province, the last major rebel stronghold.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says government forces took the entire village of Qalaat al-Madiq after insurgents pulled out. Idlib-based activist Alaa Moadamani confirmed the village's capture.
Government troops had held the nearby fortress for a while now.
Thursday's push came a day after Syrian troops took the nearby village of Kfar Nabudah.
The latest offensive, which began April 30, has raised fears the government may launch a wider push on Idlib, which is home to about 3 million people, many of them displaced from elsewhere in Syria.
The U.N. says over 150,000 people have been displaced recently within the enclave.