World Bulletin / News Desk

Armed groups including Nusra Front have seized the Syrian city of Idlib for the first time since the conflict in the country began, fighters and a monitoring group said on Saturday.

After five days of fighting, "Al-Nusra Front and its allies have captured all of Idlib," the Britain-based Observatory said.

Al-Nusra Front, announced the capture of the northwestern city on its Twitter accounts. The allies are Ajnad ash-Sham, Ahrar ash-Sham, Faylaq ash-Sham, Nusrah, Liwa al-Haqq, Liwa Fursan al-Haq, Suqour al-Ghab and Faylaq ash-Sham.

"Thanks be to God, the city of Idlib has been liberated," the group wrote on one account.

It posted photos showing its fighters in front of the governorate building, the city council, a local prison and a police station in the city.

The city's fall comes on the fifth day of fighting between a coalition of Al-Nusra and various opposition allies and the regime.

More than 130 people have been killed in the fighting, according to the Observatory.