Russian airstrikes kill 13 HTS militants in Syria’s Idlib
IDLIB, Syria (North Press) – Russian Ministry of Defense announced on Monday the killing of 13 militants of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS, formerly al-Nusra Front) in Idlib Governorate, northwest Syria.
Oleg Yegorov, Deputy Chief of the Russian Center for Reconciliation in Syria said in a statement that Russian warplanes hit HTS posts in the de-escalation zone in Idlib.
The attacks hit fortified underground posts close the villages of Ruwaiha and Mseibin, Yegorov added.
13 militants were killed including the leaders Abu Youssef al-Shami and Khaled al-Youssef (Abu Omar), and 22 others were seriously wounded, according to Yegorov.
As a result, weapons depot belonging to the HTS was destroyed, including home-made rocket launchers, ZU-23 anti-aircraft guns, and machineguns.
Destroying HTS whereabouts led to the avoidance of disruptive and terrorist attacks against posts of Russian forces and Syria government forces, Yegorov added.
De-escalation zone in northwestern Syria continues to witness daily exchange of bombardment between Syrian government forces and opposition factions despite being part of the ceasefire agreement signed between Russia and Turkey in March 2020, which stipulates a halt of military action in Idlib.