Syrian activists say government troops have ended a year-long siege of Aleppo's main prison.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Syrian forces entered the complex in the key northern city early Thursday, days after launching a push to dislodge opposition fighters.
The rebels surrounding the site had repeatedly attacked the prison hoping to free the detainees being held inside by government forces.
The prison holds about 3,500 prisoners.
More than 150,000 people have been killed in Syria since March 2011 when peaceful protests against President Bashar al-Assad spiraled into a civil war.
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