NW Syria witnesses mutual shelling between government, opposition forces
IDLIB, Syria (North Press) – The de-escalation zone in the countryside of Idlib Governorate and north of Aleppo, northwest Syria, witnessed mutual shelling between Syrian opposition factions and government forces on Monday.
A military source of the Syrian opposition told North Press that the al-Fateh al-Mubin militia targeted posts of the government forces’ 46th battalion in the villages of Besrtoon and Orem al-Sughra, west of Aleppo, and other locations on the outskirts of the town of Kafr Nabl, south of Idlib.
The source added that the Sniping Brigades, affiliated with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS, formerly al-Nusra Front), managed to kill three members of the government forces and wound two others, after operations were carried out in areas in Kafr Nabl and Hazarin, south of Idlib.
Sources also reported that the government forces renewed their artillery and missile attacks on the villages and towns of Sfuhen, Kafr Oweid, Fatterah, and Kansafra; the outskirts of al-Bara in al-Zawiya Mountain, south of Idlib; and Kafr Taal, Kafr Amma, al-Wasata, the outskirts of Atarib and Kafr Nouran, west 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 shelling between the government forces and opposition factions, as well as Russian jet flights.
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.
In the town of Tadef, in the countryside of al-Bab city, east of Aleppo, tension grew between Suqour al-Sham and Ahrar al-Sharqiya factions, affiliated to Turkish-backed armed opposition factions, aka Syrian National Army (SNA), due to a dispute over smuggling routes in the area.
An exclusive source told North Press that groups affiliated with the Ahrar al-Sharqiya faction attacked guard posts of the Suqour al-Sham faction on the contact lines with government forces in Tadef.
The source added that violent clashes took place with light weapons and heavy machineguns between the two parties, after Ahrar al-Sharqiya stormed the Suqour al-Sham positions in the area, without resulting in deaths or injuries.
The Suqour al-Sham were removed from their guard posts for over an hour, followed by the intervention of the region’s notables to resolve the dispute, but the Ahrar Al-Sharqiya refused to hand over the position, the source indicated.
The city of al-Bab has been under the control of the SNA since 2017.