Syrian government forces withdraw from locations in Idlib countryside
IDLIB, Syria (North Press) – On Sunday, dozens of members of the military divisions of the Syrian government forces withdrew from Idlib countryside, northwest Syria, towards the Syrian Desert in the center of the country.
A military source in the Syrian opposition told North Press that 170 members of the government forces gathered on the Aleppo-Damascus Highway known as M5 near the city of Ma’arrat al-Nu’man, south of Idlib, heading to al-Sukhnah, east of Homs.
The retreating forces belong to the Fifth Corps backed by Russia, and their strength comes from their deployment in the city of Ma’arat al-Nu’man, the town of Khan al-Sabil and the village of Babilla in the southern countryside of Idlib, according to the source.
The convoy included about 60 military vehicles, including seven tanks, five field cannons, four-wheel drive cars equipped with heavy machine guns, and military vehicles of the type “ZIL” to transport soldiers, the source added.
Since the beginning of April, the Fourth division, the Fifth Corps and the 25th Division are sending military reinforcements to the Syrian Desert regions from the fortifications of Idlib and Ghab Plain, west of Hama.
The Syrian Desert, especially in the countryside of Hama and Homs, is witnessing continuous attacks by ISIS agents against the sites of the Syrian government forces and the forces loyal to them in the region, which resulted in dozens of deaths and injuries.