DHAKA: Syrian forces have broken a year-long rebel siege of a prison in the northern city of Aleppo.

UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights say forces entered the complex, although this has not been confirmed.

Thousands of inmates are held in the prison, which has been the scene of fierce fighting for months as rebels have tried to capture it.

The area is strategically important as it lies near a key supply route for fighters in rebel-held parts of Aleppo.

Some 60,000 people in the rebel- and government-held parts of Aleppo province received food aid for the first time in months on Wednesday after the International Committee of the Red Cross was granted access.

ICRC president Peter Maurer said the operation, which will continue for the next few days, is the largest of its kind in recent months, reports the BBC.

BDST: 1412 HRS, MAY 22, 2014