On October 24, radical militants of the “Wa Harid al-Muminin” operations room shelled several positions of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) around the key town of Jurin in the northwestern Hama countryside with an SPG-9 73mm recoilless gun.
The attack is yet another violation of the Russian-Turkish deconfliction agreement on the governorate of Idlib, which was reached on September 17. Under the agreement, the militants’ positions in the northwestern Hama countryside are a part of a demilitarized zone, where military operations are forbidden.
In response to this violation, the SAA rocket launchers shelled several militants’ positions in the town of Sirmaniyah, which is located more than 10km north of Jurin.
The Wa Harid al-Muminin operations room was formed, earlier this month, by Jamat Ansar al-Islam, Horas al-Din, Jabhat Ansar al-Islam and Ansar al-Tawhid. All these groups, which are directly linked with al-Qaeda, are stationed in northwestern Syria.
The deconfliction agreement clearly says that all radical militants should withdraw from the demilitarized zone as soon as possible. In Mid October, Russia and Turkey extended the timeline of the agreement in order to implement all of its terms. However, it appears that these radical groups are more than willing to challenge the agreement.
Photos of the militant attack:
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