© REUTERS / Khalil AshawiTurkish soldiers stand on a watchtower at the Atmeh crossing on the Syrian-Turkish border.
Syrian forces entered the town of Khan-Sheikhun in Syria's Idlib Province on Sunday, amid heavy fighting with Jabhat al-Nusra terrorists and their allies, targeting their positions and inflicting heavy losses on militants, the SANA news agency reported.
According to the report,
the Syrian army targeted al-Nusra fortifications in the direction of Kafridon and al-Sabbaghiya, in the suburbs of Khan-Sheikhun, killing many of the terrorists, while other gunmen fled the area.
Earlier this week, the Syrian military liberated two villages in the south of Idlib Province after clashing with terrorists.
A brigadier general of the Syrian Armed Forces said that liberation followed violent clashes between the military and the terrorists from the Jabhat Nusra group, during which several fighters were killed and military equipment was seized.
In early August, a long-discussed truce in Idlib entered into force. However, the leadership of the Syrian Armed Forces said that it
would stop military actions if Turkey implemented its obligations under the Moscow-Ankara deal reached in Sochi, Russia in September 2018.
The truce deal stipulates the withdrawal of medium and heavy weapons from the line of contact in the area.
Syrian government forces subsequently
renewed activities in the northwest of the country following militant non-compliance with the agreement brokered by Russia and Turkey.
The northwestern Syrian province is the last militant stronghold in the country. It was overrun by the Nusra Front terror group in 2015 and subsequently accepted militants evacuated from other regions under a ceasefire deal with the government.
According to the United Nations, Idlib has approximately 10,000 members of the Nusra Front and al-Qaeda, who regularly
use local residents as human shields.
Comment: The Syrians say they have established
control over the entire city and are encircling the hills around the city in order to eliminate the snipers there:
A Syrian military source said earlier that the Syrian Army had blocked the supply lines of the Jabhat al-Nusra*terrorist group's militants after establishing control over the Damascus-Aleppo highway.
Earlier in the day, the Syrian Foreign Ministry said that Turkish armoured vehicles had entered the Syrian city of Saraqib in Idlib and were currently moving to Khan Sheikhoun, which is under the control of militants.
The Syrian Armed Forces earlier took control of a checkpoint on the north-western border of Khan Sheikhoun, according to reports.
"Turkish armoured vehicles with munitions have violated the Syrian border and have entered the city of Saraqib, they are moving in the direction of Khan Sheikhoun...",
according to the Syrian Foreign Ministry.
According to the Turkish Defense Ministry, the Syrian forces launched an
airstrike on the convoy, killing 3 civilians and injuring 12:
"Our convoy was targeted by an airstrike during a transfer to Turkey's ninth observatory point in Idlib. Three civilians were killed, and 12 more were injured. We condemn firmly this attack, contradicting agreements, cooperation and dialogue with Russia", the Defence Ministry said in a statement, as quoted by Anadolu news agency.
The taking of Khan-Sheikhun almost completes the encirclement of al-Nusra in the southern terrorist-held region of Idlib:
© syria.liveuamap.comThe situation in Idlib just prior to the taking of Khan-Sheikhun.
Moon of Alabama provides some clarity on the situation:
This morning Turkey sent (vid) a 29 truck convoy with five tanks, two infantry fighting vehicles, ammunition and additional personal toward the observation post in Morek, south of Khan Shaykhun.
Before the convoy passed through Maarat al-Numan, 20 kilometers north of Khan Shaykhun, the Russian airforce bombed its path (vid). The leader of Faylq al-Sham, a 'Syrian rebel' group controlled by the Turkish intelligence service, was escorting the Turkish army convoy in a technical. He was killed. No Turkish soldiers were harmed. The convoy stopped and will have to return to Turkey. The tanks and the ammunition will not reach the jihadis in Khan Shaykhun.
Comment: The Syrians say they have established control over the entire city and are encircling the hills around the city in order to eliminate the snipers there: "Turkish armoured vehicles with munitions have violated the Syrian border and have entered the city of Saraqib, they are moving in the direction of Khan Sheikhoun...", according to the Syrian Foreign Ministry.
According to the Turkish Defense Ministry, the Syrian forces launched an airstrike on the convoy, killing 3 civilians and injuring 12: The taking of Khan-Sheikhun almost completes the encirclement of al-Nusra in the southern terrorist-held region of Idlib: