Syria | New Turkish-backed militant attacks on Syrian army – Photo

Defence Redefined

08/05/2021

On May 7, fighters from the Turkish-backed al-Qaeda-linked paramilitary group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) attacked positions of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) 5th Corps in the northwestern region of Idlib province.

The militants attacked various positions located on al-Haraqat hill, west of the city of Milaya. The clashes with the SAA lasted for about an hour.

Sources in the Syrian opposition have revealed that the fighters who carried out the large-scale attack came from the “elite” of the Abu Baker al-Siddiq Brigade of the HTS.

According to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, five soldiers from the 5th Corps were killed and ten others were wounded in the attack. One HTS fighter was also killed and two others were injured. This information has not yet been confirmed.

This was the largest attack by HTS this year, the de facto leading organization in Idlib. The terrorist group’s previous attacks have been more tactical, but smaller in scale.

The large-scale attack represents a blatant violation of the ceasefire in Idlib mediated by Russia and Turkey on March 5, 2020. The SAA and its allies, first and foremost the Russian Air Force, will certainly respond in the coming days.

Also read: US State Department | Turkey may be criminally responsible for Syria human rights abuses

With information from: SOHR