Shelling and targeting operations escalate to the areas of Putin – Erdogan truce and the demilitarized zone
The demilitarized zone and the areas of the Russian – Turkish truce are witnessing escalation in terms of the violations within areas in them, where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored today evening, Monday, the 19th of November 2018, renewed and violent clashes in the areas of Zarzur, Al-Khwaiyn and Sham Al-Hawa in the south-eastern countryside of Idlib, between the regime forces and gunmen loyal to them against factions operating in the area, accompanied by heavy exchange of shelling and targeting, and preliminary information about human losses in the ranks of the both parties, while the regime forces shelled areas today evening, Monday, in the southern, eastern and south-eastern countryside of Idlib, targeting Al-Taman’aa, Al- Katiba Al-Mahjoura, Zarzur, Al-Khwaiyn and Sham Al-Hawa, they also shelled areas in Al-Zakah town and Al-Jisat village in the northern countryside of Hama. In the same context, the Syrian Observatory documented the death of 3 fighters of the factions in clashes against the regime forces and gunmen loyal to them in Al-Rashideen area in the western suburbs of Aleppo yesterday evening, Sunday, thus, it rose to 31, the number fighters who were killed in different circumstances in the demilitarized zone since the deal between Putin and Erdogan, including 23 fighters of Jaysh Al-Izza among them there was one commander at least, who were killed in ambushes, clashes and attacks by the regime forces in the northern countryside of Hama.
The Syrian Observatory published hours ago, that it monitored renewed violations in areas of the Russian – Turkish truce in the 4 provinces, where the regime forces launched several artillery shells on areas in the vicinity of the towns and villages of Tal al-Sakhr, Lahaya, Janabera and al-Lataminah which are located within the demilitarized area in the northern countryside of Hama, and other areas on the outskirts of al-Hbit town in the southern countryside of Idlib, and no information about casualties, also places in Jabal al-Akrad; which are al-Hadadah, Tardin, al-Teffahiyyeh, and Kabani witnessed exchange of targeting using heavy machineguns, in conjunction with shelling by the regime forces on areas in Jabal al-Akrad, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published hours ago that successive and renewed violations have been made daily and started to escalate in the recent days, making the Russian – Turkish truce is only a truce by name, where the violations targeted areas within the provinces of Idlib, Aleppo, Latakia, and Hama, where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored the regime forces targeting areas in agricultural land of al-Ziyara town in Sahl al-Ghab northwest of Hama countryside, and outskirts of Lahaya village in the northern countryside of Hama, also the regime forces targeted areas in al-Khwyn town and Sukayk village in the southern and southeastern sectors of Idlib countryside, but no information about casualties so far, and the Syrian Observatory published today that the agreement between the president of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the president of Russian Vladimir Putin; completed 9 consecutive weeks, since the 17th of September 2018, which is applied at the northeastern mountains of Latakia, passes through the countryside of Idlib and Hama, until the northwest suburbs of Aleppo city, however, the agreement between both presidents on the Syrian soil was neither as it was hoped for nor it was empowered, and as a result; the agreement became fragile and unobligated. Its fragility began since the attempted disarmament which was manipulated by forcing the “jihadi”, Islamic, and the rebel factions to withdraw their weapons individually without the regime withdrawing its weapon, in accordance with the first agreement before being amended, the fragility of the agreement increased after some factions refrained from withdrawing their weapons and instead of that they concealed their heavy weapons by burying them in covered trenches, especially in the northeastern mountains of Latakia, while the instability and weakness of the agreement escalated after the rejection of the “Jihadis” to leave the “demilitarized area”, despite all attempts by the Turkish intelligence to persuade them.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored in the recent hours incessant and continuous violations in all areas of the Turkish – Russian truce and the demilitarized area, where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored the continuation of clashes and targeting until after midnight of yesterday, in al-Rashedin area and the Family House area at the western suburbs of Aleppo, between the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them against the factions operating in the area, accompanied by continuous shelling, and confirmed information about more casualties, while the shells continued to falls over the neighborhoods of Halab al-Jadidah and al-Zahra in the western part of Aleppo city, which are under the control of the regime forces, also the Syrian Observatory monitored clashes after midnight of yesterday in areas at Jabal al-Akrad in the northern countryside of Latakia, between factions of the National Liberation Front against the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them, accompanied by exchange of shelling and targeting which caused casualties in the ranks of both parties, as one of the commanders of the National Liberation Front was confirmed injured, and in Hama countryside; the regime forces carry out missile shelling after midnight of yesterday targeting places in Lataminah town and M’aarkbeh village north of Hama, but no information about injuries.
And since the implementation of Putin – Erdogan agreement on the 17th of September 2018, the clashes and renewed shelling have caused casualties, where the Syrian Observatory documented the death of a woman and her child in shelling by the regime forces on Qatrah village in the southeastern countryside of Idlib, and a child was killed in shelling by the regime forces on Babulin village in Idlib countryside, and 9 people were killed by shelling by the regime forces on Jarjanaz town and its vicinity, and at least 7 citizens including 3 children and 3 women were killed as a result of the shelling that targeted al-Raffa village, and a child was killed in shelling at Kafr Hamra on the 24th of October 2018, also 3 citizens were killed in shelling by the factions on areas on the outskirts of the demilitarized area within Aleppo city, also the Syrian Observatory documented the death of 5 fighters of the jihadi “Wa Harred al-Mu’minin” operations room; were killed during attacks they carried out against sites of the regime forces in Sahl al-Ghab on the 16th of November 2018, and 28 fighters were killed various circumstances including at least 23 fighters of Jaysh al-Izza during ambushes and clashes, they were killed in ambushes and attacks on positions of the regime forces in the northern countryside of Hama, while the Syrian Observatory documented the deaths of 46 members of the regime forces and their allies who were killed within the disarmed area in the countryside of Hama, Latakia, Idlib, and Aleppo, during shelling, targeting, and clashes against the factions in a full month.