On June 6, the Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP) news agency, known as Islam Awazi, released photos showing the terrorist group’s fighters shelling positions of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) in the northern Hama countryside with a Turkish-made mortar cannon.
The mortar was identified as HY-12, a licensed copy of the French MO-120-RT [Mortier de 120mm Rayé Tracté Modèle F1]. These mortars are manufactured by Turkey’s MKEK. The 120mm mortar has a range of more than 8km and can fire 6-10 rounds per minute.
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Click to see full-size image
The TIP is one of the biggest al-Qaeda branches in Syria with more than 3,000 Uyghurs fighters. These terrorists are occupying many settlements in northern Lattakia and northwestern Idlib, including the strategic city of Jisr al-Shughur.
This was not the first time when Turkish-made HY-12 mortars were spotted with militants in northern Hama. Last month, fighters of the National Front for Liberation (NFL) were seen with this type of mortar. Turkey is believed to be the supplier.
Both the TIP and the NFL are supporting the ongoing large-scale military operation of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in northern Hama.
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