DAMASCUS, April 22 (Xinhua) -- A prisoner swap between the government and the rebels took place on Monday in Syria's northern province of Aleppo, a war monitor reported.
Nine Syrian soldiers were set free in exchange for the release of nine rebels from government custody in the al-Tadef area in the northeastern countryside of Aleppo, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The UK-based watchdog group said the operation occurred with the presence of Turkish and Russian representatives.
It's the not the first prisoners' swap to take place as in February a smilier one was reported in Aleppo in which 20 Syrian soldiers were freed in exchange for 11 rebels.
The Syrian army captured the Aleppo provincial capital in December of 2016 while the Turkey-backed rebels are still controlling areas in the northern and western countryside of the province.
