![](https://off-guardian.org/wp-content/medialibrary/syrian-government-forces-walk-in-an-area-south-of-the-town-of-al-bab-in-aleppo-province.jpg?x17958)
Syrian regime forces walk in an area south of the town of Al-Bab, in the northern province of Aleppo on January 14, 2016.
Backed by intense Russian air strikes, fighters loyal to President Bashar al-Assad seized Aarran from IS jihadists, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. / AFP / GEORGE OURFALIAN