Government forces target HTS posts in de-escalation zone in NW Syria
IDLIB, Syria (North Press) – The de-escalation zone in northwest Syria witnessed on Monday an intense shelling by the Syrian government forces, which resulted in the killing of 10 militants of an armed group affiliated with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS, formerly al-Nusra Front).
North Press correspondent reported, citing a military source, the government forces intensively shelled the villages of Fatterah and Kafr Oweid in the southern countryside of Idlib Governorate, northwest Syria.
The government forces also shelled the village of Afes in the east of Idlib and the village of Halluz in the western countryside of Idlib.
Meanwhile, pro-government media outlets said the Syrian government forces shelled HTS posts in the villages of Fatterah, Kafr Oweid, Sfuhen, Kansafra, and the outskirts of the village of al-Bara in Zawiya Mountain, south of Idlib, in addition to the villages of al-Sirmaniyah, al-Enkawi and Duwayr al-Akrad in the Ghab Plain in the west of Hama Governorate, central west Syria.
They reported that the attacks in Zawiya Mountain resulted in the killing of 10 militants of Ansar al-Tawhid, an armed faction affiliated with the HTS.
On the other hand, the HTS attacked the posts of the government forces in al-Malaja, Hazarin, Kafr Nabl in the south of Idlib, and Regiment 46 and the village of Basratun in the west of Aleppo, killing three soldiers in Regiment 46.
Although the de-escalation zone in northwest Syria is subject to a Russian-Turkish ceasefire agreement signed in March 2020, the area witnesses frequent mutual bombardment despite the entry of the ceasefire into force.
In March 2020, Russia and Turkey reached an agreement in Moscow that stipulated a ceasefire, the establishment of a safe corridor, and the conduct of joint patrols on the M4/Aleppo-Latakia Highway.