Illustrative image.
On October 16, the National Front for Liberation (NFL), a coalition of Turkish-backed factions in the northwestern Syrian region of Greater Idlib, carried out two attacks against the Syrian Arab Army (SAA).
NFL militants destroyed a bulldozer that was building fortification for the SAA near the town of Bsartun in the western Aleppo countryside with an anti-tank guided missile, most likely a U.S.-made TOW. No casualties were reportedly after the missile strike.
Later, the militants shelled several positions of the SAA near the town of Khan Assubul in the southern countryside of Idlib with a U.S.-made M114 155 mm towed howitzer. The shelling didn’t result in any casualties or material losses.
The two attacks were blatant violations of the ceasefire in Greater Idlib, which was brokered by Russia and Turkey more than two years ago. The NFL can’t possibly launch attacks from Greater Idlib without coordinating with the de-facto ruler of the region, al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham.
The NFL may have carried out the attacks in response to a series of Russian airstrikes that hit their comrades in Turkish-occupied areas in the northern Aleppo countryside in the morning. The airstrikes killed at least two militants and wounded nine others.
The SAA and its allies will likely respond to the new ceasefire violations by targeted key positions of the NFL in Greater Idlib in the upcoming few days.
C’mon already, blast them with FOAB!