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Syria: Russian raids on the northwest, the first in three months

2020-06-04T20:52:06.872Z


By these raids carried out in the last great jihadist stronghold in Syria, Russia ended three months of truce negotiated with Turkey.


The Russian air force carried out raids in the north-west of Syria, first strikes of the ally of Damascus in three months in this last great jihadist and rebel stronghold of the country, indicated on Wednesday June 3 the Syrian Observatory of the rights of Human (OSDH).

Read also: Turkey-Russia: the risk of an escalation in Syria

"Russian raids targeted Tuesday before midnight and Wednesday at dawn" an area on the edge of the provinces of Hama, Idleb and Latakia against jihadist groups, OSDH director Rami Abdel Rahmane told AFP , specifying that these are the "first (Russian) strikes since the entry into force of a truce" on March 6 in this region.

Read also: Syria: 5 pro-Iran fighters killed in an air strike in the east

The triangle targeted by the Russian aviation is under the control of the jihadists of Hayat Tahrir al-Cham (HTS, ex-Syrian branch of Al-Qaeda) as well as of the tiny group Houras al-Din and the Islamic Party of Turkestan, two others jihadist factions. The truce, negotiated by Russia, an ally of the regime, and Turkey, support of certain rebels, had allowed the end of a devastating offensive of the regime against the Idleb region, dominated by HTS and which shelters some three million people.

1 million displaced

This offensive had left some 500 civilians dead since December, according to the OSDH, and about a million displaced according to the UN, of which 120,000 took advantage of the ceasefire to return to their homes. The Russian-Turkish agreement also provides for joint patrols along the M4 motorway, a crucial axis for Damascus and which crosses the Idleb region to link Aleppo (north) to Latakia (west). According to Mr. Abdel Rahmane, the Russian raids are aimed at "removing combatants from this highway as well as from certain villages in the Sahl al-Ghab region, where regime forces are deployed alongside Russian forces" .

Read also: Syria: belligerents agree to resume discussions in Geneva

In recent years, the Syrian regime, supported by Moscow, has nibbled large swathes in the last great rebel and jihadist enclave of north-western Syria, until taking control of half of the province of Idleb, but also of significant areas in the neighboring provinces of Hama, Aleppo and Latakia. Triggered in March 2011 by the suppression of pro-democracy protests, the war in Syria has killed more than 380,000 people and displaced millions of people. It has become more complex over the years with the involvement of regional and international powers.

Read also: Israel multiplies its raids against the Shiite axis in Syria

Source: lefigaro

All news articles on 2020-06-04

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