Syrian army recaptures town in Aleppo province from IS group

BEIRUT -- Syrian government troops backed by Russian airstrikes recaptured a town in Aleppo province from Islamic State militants Thursday in a key advance just two days ahead of a U.S. and Russia-engineered cease-fire that is set to take effect in Syria.

In the rebel-held suburb of Daraya, opposition activists said the army escalated its attacks, dropping dozens of barrel bombs from helicopters on the devastated town a few miles southwest of the Syrian capital, sending plumes of smoke rising into the sky.

Russia and the United States have set a deadline of midnight today for the temporary cease-fire to take effect between the Syrian government and opposition forces. But fighting is expected to continue in many places, because the deal excludes groups deemed terrorist by the U.N. Security Council, including Islamic State and the al-Qaida branch in Syria, the Nusra Front.

The town of Khanaser captured by the army Thursday was seized earlier this week by the Islamic State group, cutting state forces' access to the provincial capital, also called Aleppo, said the Syrian government and the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition monitoring group.

SANA said the army took Khanaser, about 30 miles southeast of Aleppo city, after three days of heavy battles, and intense fighting was underway to reopen the road. On Tuesday, IS seized Khanaser and surrounding hills, severing the government's main land route to the city.

In the push on Khanaser, the Syrian army and pro-government Shiite militias were backed by Russian airstrikes, The Observatory said.

The cease-fire meant to start at midnight is aimed at achieving a temporary "cessation of hostilities" that would bring back the Syrian government and its opponents to the negotiating table in Geneva.

The U.N. special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, said he will convene the first meeting of a task force meant to monitor the cease-fire. Speaking to reporters Thursday in Geneva, he predicted a "crucial" day ahead of the start of the truce brokered by the United States and Russia.