Syrian Army advance to besiege Khan Shaykhun
Idlib – North-Press Agency
Baraa Darwish
Idlib region in northwestern Syria witnesses ongoing military escalation despite the agreement on a political solution in the 13th round of Astana talks, resulting in further advancement by the Syrian Army.
In the early morning hours, the Syrian Army has managed to take control over the town of Madaya in southern Idlib countryside after fierce clashes with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and the Turkistan Islamic Party.
This progress is part of the military plan of the Syrian Army to impose a siege around the city of Khan Shaykhun and try to expel these armed groups out of the city and other surrounding areas.
Syrian Army helicopters bombed with barrel bombs areas in the village of Sheikh Damis and the towns and villages of Mouqa, Kafr Sajnah, Heesh and Saraqib in southern and eastern Idlib, coincides with airstrikes by the Russian fighter jets on the village of Maar-hatat in Idlib countryside.
The shelling caused injuries in the town of Saraqeb, amid information about the death of a woman, after recording casualties on Thursday.
The Syrian Army targeted areas in Kafr Sajneh and Heesh in southern Idlib, but no casualties were reported.
Hossam Zalito, the director of the Civil Defense Center in Bidama town west of Jisr Al-Shughour, confirmed that the Syrian government forces targeted the towns of Bidama, Maraand and al-Najia with more than 15 missiles, resulting in the death of a person in Bidama and damage of civilian houses.
“Almost on a daily basis these areas are subjected to bombardments by Syrian rocket launchers and heavy artillery,” Zlito said.
The advance coincides with mounting fears for the life of the Syrian fighter pilot, who was captured by HTS, after his jet was shot down.
While commanders of groups of Turkey-supported “National Army” expressed their readiness to send military reinforcements for the HTS, the Islamic Turkistan Party and other armed opposition groups south of Idlib.