Mutual shelling takes place in de-escalation zone in NW Syria
IDLIB, Syria (North Press) – Mutual shelling renewed on Wednesday in the de-escalation zone in the countryside of Idlib and Aleppo, northwest Syria. This coincided with new reinforcements by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS – formerly al-Nusra Front) to Afrin Region.
Social media platforms affiliated with the Syrian opposition said that the government forces bombarded the villages and towns of Fatterah, Kafr Oweid, Sfuhen, al-Bara, and Deir Sunbul in Zawiya Mountain, south Idlib, as well as they targeted the towns and villages of Kafr Taal, Kafr Amma, and the outskirts of the city of al-Atarib, west of Aleppo.
The shelling resulted in the killing of an HTS militant and the injury of three others in Zawiya Mountain, according to the sources.
In another context, al-Fateh al-Mubin Operations Room, affiliated with the HTS, reported the destruction of a government tank in the village of Hantoteen near the city of Maarat al-Numan, south Idlib.
It also added the killing of five government soldiers in al-Malaja village and the city of Kafr Nabl, south of Idlib.
The shelling coincided with HTS sending military reinforcements to Afrin. The new reinforcements included 12 vehicles that were directed to Afrin from the Ghazawiyah crossing, run by the HTS, in batches, military sources told North Press.
The de-escalation zone in northwest Syria witnesses mutual bombardment between parties to the conflict. The Syrian government rarely comments on the military developments on the ground.
Although the de-escalation zone in northwest Syria is subject to a Russian-Turkish ceasefire agreement, 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/Aleppo-Latakia Highway.