Syria’s Fourth Division members withdraw from Hama countryside
HAMA, Syria (North Press)-On Saturday, members of the Fourth Division of the Syrian government forces withdrew from the western Hama countryside towards the Badia regions in the center of the country.
A source working in the Turkish-backed National Front for Liberation told North Press that the monitoring and follow-up unit monitored, on Saturday morning, huge gatherings of Syrian government forces in several areas in Ghab Plain, west of Hama.
“It turned out that the gatherings were of the Fourth Division’s forces. They gathered in the city of Qalaat al-Madiq in the western countryside of Hama, and headed to the Badia regions,” The source added.
The forces withdrew from the areas of al- Sharia, Tangara, al-Hawiz, Jurin and Qalaat al-Madiq, and the number of soldiers was estimated at about 500, in addition to dozens of pieces of heavy machinery, according to the source.
Meanwhile, another military source told North Press that the forces that deployed in the region after the withdrawal of the Fourth Division were groups of the Russian-backed Fifth Corps led by Ali Taha.
Ghab Plain has recently witnessed attempts to advance by the Syrian government and Russian forces, while opposition groups have succeeded in repelling those attempts.
The Syrian desert, especially in the countryside of Hama and Homs, is witnessing continuous attacks by ISIS militants against government forces’ sites in the area.