Al-Qaida-linked militants say they have launched attacks on positions of government forces in northern Syria killing and wounding dozens.

The al-Qaida-linked Hayat Tahir al-Sham, or HTS, said the attacks occurred early Saturday in the northern province of Aleppo.

The area of the attack is part of a seven-month truce reached between Turkey and Russia but has recently been repeatedly violated.

The HTS-linked Ibaa news agency said the attacks that occurred at dawn killed more than 20 soldiers.

The opposition's Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor, said 17 soldiers were killed in the attack and 30 wounded. It added that eight insurgents were also killed.