Syrian Army Liberates Villages in Idlib

Date: 25 January 2020 - 21:51

News ID: ۷۵۴۷۰

DAMASCUS (Dispatches) – Syrian troops have liberated three villages in the northern province of Idlib, and are also fighting terrorists in the province of Aleppo, media reported.
According to the Arabic-language broadcaster Al-Ihkbariya, the Syrian Army established control over three settlements in southeastern Idlib.
The Syrian newspaper Al-Watan reported ongoing fighting in the province of Aleppo, northwest of the provincial administrative center. The clashes are reportedly taking place in the Aleppo suburb of Zahraa.
The UK-based so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also confirmed the forces seized villages to the south of Maaret al-Numan, which gave them the strategic edge they need to return the city under government control.
"Deir Sharqi and Deir Gharbi [villages] are the keys to capturing Maaret al-Numan,” it reported.
Over the past years, Damascus has been enlisting the assistance of its allies, Iran and Russia, to help it contain the foreign-backed militancy and terrorism that has cost thousands of lives since affecting the country in 2011.
President Bashar al-Assad has invariably pledged to bring back every inch of Syria’s soil under sovereign control.
The joint counter-terrorism drive has been consistently pushing against the terrorist outfits. In late 2017, it led to the defeat of the terror group of Daesh, and has forced hordes of other terrorists to retreat almost entirely to Idlib.
Moscow announced a ceasefire earlier in the month across Idlib in order to provide safe passage out of the dangerous areas for the civilian population.
On Thursday, the Russian Defense Ministry’s Center for Syrian Reconciliation, also known as the Russian Center for the Reconciliation of Opposing Sides in the Syrian Arab Republic, reported that at least 40 Syrian army servicemen had been killed and 80 more wounded after militants attacked their positions in the Idlib de-escalation zone. The center added that up to 50 militants had been killed during the fighting in Southeastern part of the area.
The development comes after Syrian state-run media reported last week that the Syrian forces had resumed their military operation against militants in Idlib, over multiple ceasefire violations.