Beirut, Safar 22, 1436, December 14, 2014, SPA -- Opposition fighters took over at least three government checkpoints Sunday around a pair of military bases in northwestern Syria, activists said. The positions that fell to opposition fighters in heavy fighting are located around the Wadi Deif and Hamidiyeh bases outside the town of Maaret al-Numan in Syria's Idlib province. Fighters have been trying to capture both facilities since 2012, but have not been able to take either despite several attempts, AP reported. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the Local Coordination Committees activist collective both reported the opposition advances Sunday. Observatory director Rami Abdurrahman said the fighters seized three checkpoints near the bases. He said at least 15 pro-government troops and eight opposition fighters have been killed in the clashes. -- SPA 00:10 LOCAL TIME 21:10 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w