Government forces killed in continuous escalation in NW Syria
IDLIB, Syria (North Press) – On Wednesday, an officer and a soldier of the Syrian government forces were killed in mutual attacks between Turkish-backed factions of the Syrian National Army (SNA) and the government forces as shelling in southern Idlib and western Aleppo, northwest Syria, continued.
Sources from the opposition told North Press that one officer of the government forces was killed and another was injured by a sniper of the al-Fateh al-Mubin Operations Room in al-Kabina hills in Jabal al-Akrad in northern Latakia. Another soldier also was killed by a sniper in Zawiya Mountain south of Idlib.
The sources added that the region witnessed on Wednesday mutual shelling between the SNA factions and government forces in Kafr Taal, Kafr Amma, al-Wasata, Tuqad in western Aleppo, Fatterah, Sfuhen, and Kansafra in Zawiya Mountain in southern Idlib.
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS, formerly al-Nusra Front) attacked with heavy artillery and missiles the government forces’ posts in the Base 46, Urum al-Sughra and the oil factory in western Aleppo, and other positions in al-Malaja and the outskirts of Kafr Nabl in southern Idlib, according to the same sources.
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 between Syrian government forces and opposition factions accompanied by Russian warplanes’ flight 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.