Government forces kill 2 HTS militants, injure others in NW Syria
ALEPPO, Syria (North Press) – On Monday, two militants were killed and three others were injured within the ranks of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS – formerly al-Nusra Front) after their military vehicle was targeted by the Syrian government forces in the western countryside of Aleppo.
A special source told North Press, “The government forces targeted a military vehicle belonging to the HTS, killing two militants and injuring three. They were transported to a hospital in the city of al-Atarib in Aleppo western countryside.”
The source added that the targeting coincided with continued artillery shelling by the government forces since morning on the southern axes of Idlib Governorate, northwest Syria, including the towns of al-Bara, Kafr Nabl, and the villages of al-Mozara and Majdaliya, as well as targeting the outskirts of Kafr Nouran in western Aleppo.
The source also noted that the HTS responded with artillery and missile shelling on the same axes in the southern countryside of Idlib and the western countryside of Aleppo.
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 Highway.