DAMASCUS, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Nine abducted people were released Friday as part of a swap deal between the Syrian army and the rebels in the northern province of Aleppo, state news agency SANA reported.
The swap included a child and two women who were taken hostages by the rebels in the southern countryside of Aleppo, said SANA.
No more details were given by the official news agency.
Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor group said that the swap included the release of 27 detainees from government jails in exchange for the release of seven people from the rebels' captivity.
The Britain-based watchdog group said the prisoners' swap comes less than a month after a similar operation took place in Aleppo when both sides released nine detainees.
The Syrian army liberated Aleppo city in 2016 but the rebels are still present in the areas in the countryside of Aleppo.
