AFP
Syria: eight fighters killed by Russian strikes on a rebel area, according to an NGO
At least eight anti-regime fighters were killed overnight from Sunday to Monday by Russian airstrikes on the last major rebel stronghold in northwestern Syria, an NGO said. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH), “Russian fighter jets carried out airstrikes on the western outskirts of the city of Idleb, targeting a military base in Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS)”. “At least eight fighters” from this group jihadist were killed, added Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the OSDH based in the United Kingdom and which has an extensive network of sources in Syria. Several other fighters were injured according to the NGO. AFP in Idleb said the strikes had targeted an agricultural area in the region, the last major rebel stronghold in northwestern Syria, partly controlled by the jihadist group HTS. Fighters from this formation deployed around the targeted objectives and barred access to journalists. Russia is the main supporter of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime and has been intervening militarily in Syria since 2015. On August 5, at least three civilians, including a child, were killed in Russian strikes west of Idlib city. And on June 25, other particularly deadly strikes on this same region had killed at least 13 people, including nine civilians. The last pocket of armed opposition to the regime includes a large part of the province of Idlib as well as neighboring territories provinces of Aleppo, Hama and Latakia. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), from the former local branch of Al-Qaeda, is the main group active in these territories, where other factions are also present less influential rebels, supported to varying degrees by Turkey. With the support of Russia and Iran, the Syrian regime has won back most of the territory lost at the start of the war, which was triggered in 2011 by the suppression of pro-demonstrations. -democracy. The Idleb region is subject to a ceasefire brokered by Russia and Turkey after a regime offensive in March 2020. And despite repeated violations, the ceasefire is generally respected. Syria’s war, sparked in 2011 by the crackdown on pro-democracy protests, has claimed more than half a million lives and displaced several million people.bur-aya/at/ila
2023-08-21 21:01:44
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