Cautious calm prevails areas of the Russian – Turkish truce with preparations to launch mass demonstrations within the opposition’s-controlled areas
Areas of the Russian – Turkish truce in Aleppo, Hama, Idlib, and Latakia has been witnessing a cautious calm since after midnight of yesterday until the moment, ass the so-called truce almost completes its first month, where a consensus took place between the Russians and the Turks and they started a truce on the 15th of August 2018. In the same context preparations continue for mass demonstrations in the afternoon of today, Friday, the 14th of September 2018 in Hama, Idlib, and Aleppo, as part of continuation of the increased demonstrations for the third consecutive week, and the Syrian Observatory published in the past hours that places in the villages of Sukayk and Al-Khwaiyn in the south-eastern countryside of Idlib, were subjected to rocket shelling carried out by the regime forces, within the ongoing violation to the Russian – Turkish truce supposed to be applied in Idlib, Hama, Aleppo and Lattakia, in the same context, the Syrian Observatory monitored preparations for by civic and local parties for going out in mass demonstrations tomorrow, Friday, for the 3rd consecutive week, in Hama, Aleppo and Idlib, where demonstrations went out in the past 2 week through which the demonstrators called on the overthrow of the regime and condemned the International Community and its attitudes towards the mobilizations of the regime forces for attacking Idlib, and the Syrian Observatory published hours ago, that the Russian – Turkish truce has been still applied since the 15th of August 2018, in the provinces of Idlib, Hama, Aleppo and Lattakia, after a consensus between the Russians and the Turks, and it was coincided with large military mobilizations by the regime forces by tens of thousands of members of their forces and gunmen loyal to them as well as the former fighters of the “reconciliation” factions and more than 2000 armored vehicle, in order to attack Idlib and its vicinity, and this grand forces have been deployed in an area extended from the northern mountains of Lattakia, to the south-western countryside of Aleppo, passing through Sahl Al-Ghab, the north of Hama, and both southern and south-eastern countryside of Idlib, and this truce which witnessed daily violations by the regime forces, their allies and the Russians, as well as bombardment by warplanes and helicopters, resulted in the fall of human losses of citizens and fighters.
The Syrian Observatory has documented the death of 53 persons since the 15th of August 2018 until today the 13th of September 2018, they are: 3 citizens including 2 children who were killed in bombardment by barrel bombs by the regime’s helicopters, 15 citizens including 5 children and 2 women who were killed in shelling by the regime forces by rocket and artillery shells on the areas of the Russian – Turkish truce in Hama, Idlib and Aleppo, 17 citizens including 7 children and 4 women who were killed in bombardment by Russian warplanes, and all casualties were killed in the provinces of Hama, Idlib and Aleppo, the majority of whom were killed in Hama and Idlib, also 7 fighters of rebel and Islamic factions were killed in the bombardment and shelling by the regime forces on both Hama and Idlib countryside, also 11 citizens including 5 children and 5 woman were killed as a result of the fall of shells fired by the faction of Ansar al-Tawhid on Muhardah town which is controlled by the regime forces in the north-western countryside of Hama, also tens others were injured with varying severity.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also monitored the displacement of tens of thousands of citizens from both southern and south-eastern countryside of Idlib, Sahl Al-Ghab, Jisr Al-Shughur area in the western countryside of Idlib, and other areas in the north of Hama, towards the northern countryside of Idlib, Afrin area in the north-western sector of Aleppo countryside, the western countryside of Aleppo, and other areas near the Syrian – Turkish border, in order to stay away the escalated shelling especially in the recent week, while the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored in the recent weeks the increase in pace of regime’s preparations to start the grand battle of Idlib, and the Syrian Observatory learned from intersected sources that the regime forces have mobilized the majority of their forces who fought previously against the factions and the “Islamic State” organization, and moved them to the contact lines and clash fronts in the countryside of Idlib, Hama, Latakia, and Aleppo, in order to have the upper hand in the battle, for which they have mobilized more than 2000 armored vehicle so far, and called for tens of thousands of members of their forces and the gunmen loyal to them, in addition to summoning their officers and operation commanders, headed by the Brigadier General Suhail al-Hassan, known as the “al-Nemr” (the tiger), while the regime forces are following the tactic of scattered shelling, through moving the shelled area between the day and the other, and concentrating the shelling each time on an area without the other, to disperse fighters of the rebel and Islamic factions, Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham, the Islamic Turkestani Party, and the factions operating in factions’ controlled areas north, east, and west of the contact line between the regime forces and the factions, extending from the northern mountains of Latakia to the southern countryside of Aleppo passing through Sahl al-Ghab and the eastern and southeastern countryside of Idlib, while the areas of control of the rebel and Islamic factions, the National Liberation Front, the Turkestani Islamic party, Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham, Hurras al-Dien Organization also witnessed preparations to confront these large crowds if the battle was launched, where they dug tunnels and trenches, strengthened their positions and points, and increased the number of their fighters on the fronts.