Syrian Army Repelled Attack From Greater Idlib, Killed Or Wounded 12 Militants

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On January 18, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) repelled an attack that was launched by militants occupying the northwestern Syrian region of Greater Idlib.

In a press released, the Syrian Ministry of Defense said that SAA troops repelled an attack that was launched from the direction of the occupied towns of al-Bara and Kansafra and targeted their positions near the towns of Maarat Mukhes and al-Bureij in the southern countryside of Idlib.

The militants took advantage of poor weather conditions, and began their attack by targeting SAA positions with heavy weapons. Still, the attack was repelled.

“The terrorist attack extended for hours, and as a result the terrorists suffered heavy losses in equipment and personnel,” the press release reads.

According to the ministry, at least 12 militants were killed or wounded during the failed attack. SAA troops retrieved the dead bodies of two militants.

Syrian pro-opposition activists in Greater Idlib said that the attack was carried out by al-Qaeda-affiliated Ansar al-Tawhid. The activists identified two militants who were killed while taking part in the attack, Abu Ubaidah al-Numani and Abu Jihad al-Halabi.

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Ansar al-Tawhid’s attack follows a series of deadly raids by al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the de-facto ruler of Greater Idlib, that targeted military positions on different fronts of Greater Idlib.

The last raid by HTS’s militants, which took place on January 14, targeted an position of the SAA near the village of Nahshabba in the northern Lattakia countryside. Three soldiers were killed in the attack.

The recent attacks represent a blatant violation of the ceasefire in Greater Idlib, which was brokered by Russia and Turkey more than two years ago. They are likely a part of a HTS-led military campaign that is meant to sabotage Russia’s ongoing efforts between Ankara, who maintains large forces in the region as a guarantor of the ceasefire, and Damascus.

The SAA has already responded to some of the attacks. On January 15, Syrian troops killed a French jihadist during a raid targeting a position of Firqat al-Ghuraba, another al-Qaeda-affiliated group, in the mountainous area of al-Zawiya in the southern countryside of Idlib.

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