Syrian Army Killed 11 HTS Militants While Repelling Attack In Western Aleppo (Photos)

© Sputnik / Iliya Pitalev

On March 23, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) repelled a large attack by al-Qaed-affiliated Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) on its positions near the town of Kafr Amma in the western countryside of Aleppo.

In a statement, the Syrian Ministry of Defense said that the terrorist group launched the attack from its positions in the so-called Greater Idlib region at the time of Iftar, the fast-breaking evening meal of Muslims during the holy month of Ramadan.

SAA troops killed elevent militants of HTS, including a field commander and several foreign nationals, while repelling the attack.

The HTS-linked Military Media channel on Telegram said that the main target of the attack was the 46th Regiment base. However, the SAA detected the militants movements in the early stages of the attack, set up an ambush for them near Kafr Amma and targeted their rear with artillery.

The MoD released photos showing the dead bodies of five militants which were retrieved by the SAA as well as some captured weapons and military equipment.

HTS escalated its attacks against the SAA in December in an apparent attempt to sabotage Russian efforts to restore ties between Ankara, who maintains a large force in Greater Idlib, and Damascus. On March 16 and 17, the terrorist group attacked military positions near the town of al-Fatatra in the southern Idlib countryside and on Nahshabba mount in the northern countryside of Lattakia.

The group, who views Turkish military presence in Greater Idlib as an obstacle in the face of any new ground operation by the SAA, fears that Ankara could withdraw from the region to facilitate the normalization process with Damascus.

The recent attacks by HTS were a blatant violation of the ceasefire in Greater Idlib, which was brokered by Russia and Turkey more than two years ago. The SAA and its allies will likely respond in the near future.

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