© Sputnik / Iliya Pitalev
The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and the Russian Aerospace Forces had carried out a joint operation against al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its allies in the northwestern region of Greater Idlib, the Syrian Ministry of Defense announced on September 9.
In a statement, the ministry said that the operation was launched in response to a tunnel bombing that targeted a position of the SAA near the town of Milaja in the southern Idlib countryside on August 26.
Some 11 soldiers were killed in the attack and a subsequent raid, which were orchestrated by HTS and one of its close allies, Ansar al-Tawhid.
During the joint Syrian-Russian operation, a series of air and artillery strikes targeted headquarters, fortifications, heavy weapons and ammunition depots of HTS and its allies in the southern Idlib countryside and the northwestern countryside of Hama.
At least 111 militants of HTS, Ansar al-Tawhid and the Turkistan Islamic Party were killed in the operation, the Syrian MoD said, adding that more than 80 others were wounded.
According to the ministry, many of the fatalities were militants and commanders who planned and took part in the Milaja attack.
Several waves of Syrian and Russian strikes hit Greater Idlib in recent weeks in response to violations of the ceasefire in the region, which was brokered by Russia and Turkey more than three years ago. However, HTS and its allies continue to escalate.
The neverending violations will eventually force the SAA and its allies to resume ground operations in Greater Idlib. This could however lead to a confrontation with the Turkish military, who maintains a large presence in the region.
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