Damascus, March 30 (RHC-Xinhua) -- The Syrian army on Wednesday captured the town of Deir Hafer, a major stronghold for the Islamic State (IS) group in the eastern countryside of Aleppo province in northern Syria, state news agency SANA reported.

Capturing Deir Hafer comes a week after the Syrian army laid a siege on that town as part of a major military campaign against IS positions in eastern Aleppo countryside.

SANA said the Syrian army captured 27 towns and villages around Deir Hafer and secured the 24 km of the highway connecting Aleppo with Raqqa province, the de facto capital of IS.

The Syrian army is currently moving toward capturing the town of Maskaneh, the last IS-held town in the eastern countryside of Aleppo.