Image: aa.com.tr
On September 5, heavy clashes broke out between the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and militants of al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in the northwestern region of Greater Idlib.
The clashes started when the Turkish military shelled SAA positions in the outskirt of Saraqib city in southern Idlib. No losses were reported.
SAA troops clashed with HTS and its allies around Saraqib and the nearby town of Fleifel. Clashes also broke out near the town of al-Enkawi in northwestern Hama and Kafr Taal in western Aleppo.
“There is no information about any human losses [in the clashes],” the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said in a report.
Russia and Turkey reached a ceasefire agreement in Greater Idlib on March 5. However, the situation in the region is slowly spinning out of control.
Turkey, which deployed thousands of troops in Greater Idlib in the last few months, is supporting and cooperating with the region’s militants, including those allied to terrorist groups like HTS. Ankara’s support is encouraging the hostile behavior of the militants.
