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Militants of al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the de-facto ruler of the Syrian region of Greater Idlib, attacked positions of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) in the northern Lattakia countryside late on March 17, less than 24 hours after a similar attack that targeted a government-held town in the southern countryside of Idlib.
The terrorist group claimed that its militants killed six soldiers of the SAA during the attack that targeted Nahshabba mount. However, a source in the army told SouthFront that the attack was successfully repelled. According to the source, who asked not to be named, the army didn’t sustain any losses.
In the late hours of March 16, HTS militants attacked several positions of the SAA in the outskirts of the town of al-Fatatra in the southern countryside of Idlib. After the attack, the terrorist group said that 15 soldiers were killed. Nevertheless, pro-government activists identified a single fatality only.
Citing a field officer in the SAA, Sputnik reported that at least eight militants of HTS were killed during the failed attack on al-Fatatra.
The two recent attacks by HTS represent a blatant violation of the ceasefire in Greater Idlib, which was brokered by Russia and Turkey more than two years ago.
The attacks coincided with the 12th anniversary of the uprising in Syria which quickly escalated into a destructive war and opened the door to HTS and other terrorist groups.
HTS escalated its attacks against the SAA in December in an apparent attempt to sabotage Russian efforts to restore ties between Ankara, who maintains a large force in Greater Idlib, and Damascus. The group fears that Turkish forces could withdraw from the region as a part of the normalization process. This would enable Damascus and its allies to resume ground operations there.
The post HTS Launches Second Attack Against Syrian Army In Less Than 24 Hours appeared first on South Front.
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