Syrian government troops recaptured the key rebel-held town of Adra northeast of the capital Damascus on Thursday, a security source said.

But the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group, said fighting was ongoing and despite army advances, the regime still did not have full control of the town.

Syrian rebels have agreed to free 1,500 families in exchange for food and the release of jailed opponents of President Bashar Assad, a newspaper close to his regime said Monday.

The reported agreement involves the release of families held by rebels in Adra, a flashpoint town northeast of Damascus currently under siege by government troops.