Syria's army today announced it had captured the vital Abu Duhur military airport in the country's northwest, more than two years after losing it to rebels and militants. <br/><br/>The army said in a statement that after a string of special operations, units from their armed forces in coordination with allied fighters succeeded in their military operation and took control of the Abu Duhur military airport in Idlib province. <br/><br/>An alliance of militants and rebels overran the vast majority of Idlib province in 2015, seizing Abu Duhur in September of that year. Syrian troops had been advancing on the northwest province of Idlib and Abu Duhur in particular, as part of a fierce offensive launched in late December with Russian backing.<br/><br/>Moscow today confirmed that allied troops are now in control of Abu Duhur. With its capture, the Syrian army said, troops could now secure a key route leading from the neighbouring province of Aleppo south to the capital Damascus.