A foreign jihadist group threatens the Russians and Syrian forces
Idlib – North-Press Agency
Baraa Darwish
Areas of Hama countryside within the de-escalation zones in northwestern Syria are witnessing an escalation campaign by the armed opposition groups, following heavy battles and aerial bombardments since last night.
The armed opposition groups targeted the town of Jurin and its surroundings, in addition to shelling the Syrian government positions in the northwestern countryside of Hama, following clashes on Sirmaniyah axis between the two sides.
The escalation comes after threats launched by The Turkistan Islamic Party in Syria (an armed Uyghur Salafist jihadist group) to target the Syrian government forces’ areas of influence, as the party’s leader vowed via an audio recording which was broadcasted on the Internet, by saying: “We will turn the Assi river (Orontes) from water into a river of blood, and al-Ghab plain would be the largest mass grave for the Russian and Nusairis ( a term used referring to the Alawites) tyrants”.
The Russian fighter jets also shelled the areas in the city of Jisr al-Shughur, west of Idlib, and Sirmaniyah area, after midnight last night, causing material damage and killing 1 person at least, 10 others were injured.
The Syrian government forces also targeted the areas of Al-Zeyarah, Hawash, Sirmaniyah, and Qastoun in Al-Ghab plain on Thursday morning, with similar shelling which targeted the villages of Tal-Meleh and Jibeen in the northern countryside of Hama, without any information of casualties.
Anas al-Abd, a media activist told North Press that the government forces had bombarded in the last 24 hours “the axes of Sirmaniyah, Duwayr al-Akrad, and Khirbat al-Naqus, pointing out: “The region is witnessing an unprecedented escalation in the last two days”.
Violent clashes took place about 10 days ago between the Syrian government forces and its allied forces, against the Turkistan Islamic Party in Turkmen Mountain in the northeastern countryside of Latakia as a result of an offensive by the latter, which made them advance in the area at the expense of their opponents, the clashes resulted in dozens of dead and wounded on both sides.