Rebels 'Seize Most of Syria Police Academy'

President Bashar al-Assad

Rebels have captured large parts of a Syrian police academy near Aleppo, after a fierce battle resulting in heavy loss of life, activists say.

Video emerged on Saturday apparently showing rebels breaking into the sprawling Khan al-Assal compound.

Almost 200 fighters had been killed on both sides over eight days, UK-based activist group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said.

The group's reports could not be independently confirmed.

Their account said more than 34 government soldiers and police died on Sunday alone - an apparent setback for government forces a day after the army announced it had regained control of villages on a major route linking the central city of Hama to Aleppo, with security "restored" to the northern city's airport, reports the BBC.

President Bashar al-Assad, in an interview with the UK's Sunday Times newspaper, said it was "nonsense to suggest" that the conflict was about his future as leader.

The rebels took control of much of the police academy site at dawn on Sunday, the activist group said. They had been targeting the Khan al-Assal complex outside Aleppo for some time.

Almost 200 fighters and soldiers had been killed in the eight-day battle for the site, including 120 troops and police, Rami Abdel Rahman of SOHR told AFP news agency.

Footage had earlier shown dozens of fighters sheltering beside an outer wall as explosions could be seen apparently inside the academy's grounds.

The SOHR is one of the most prominent organisations documenting and reporting incidents and casualties in the Syrian conflict. The group says its reports are impartial, though its information cannot be verified.

It also reported on Sunday that rebels had seized a prison in northern Raqqa province.