DAMASCUS (Xinhua) – A total of 111 militants have been killed and 80 others wounded in a series of Syrian military operations in the northwestern province of Idlib, the Syrian army said in a statement.
Cooperating closely with the Russian air force, the Syrian armed forces carried out several days of intensive precision operations to curb the “flagrant violations” committed by terrorist groups, particularly in the southern countryside of Idlib, said the statement.
The move comes in response to ongoing attacks by armed terrorist groups, supported by both regional and international entities, targeting peaceful villages, towns, and strongholds held by the Syrian army in Idlib and Hama provinces, the statement added.
By using a variety of firepower, such as artillery and multiple missile systems, the army launched heavy and concentrated strikes on terrorist headquarters, fortifications, and ammunition depots, effectively disrupting their capabilities, it said, noting that a substantial number of terrorist strongholds, operation rooms, and warehouses were obliterated.
The majority of these terrorists were affiliated with the self-styled Ansar al-Tawhid organization, a branch of the notorious Al-Qaeda terrorist network, said the statement.
Russia has been providing Syrian forces with military assistance in the ongoing battles across the conflict-plagued Arab country.
The Russian assistance, which began in September 2015 at the official request of the Syrian government, has proved effective as Syrians continue to recapture key areas from remnants of the Daesh terrorist group and other foreign-backed terrorist factions.