For the first time since 2014…the regime forces enter the north-western outskirts of Khan Shaykhun city south of Idlib after fierce battles and intense aerial and ground bombardment

The violent battles are still continuing at the western outskirts of Khan Shaykhun city in the southern sector of Idlib countryside, between the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them backed by Russia on one hand, and the rebel and Islamic factions and jihadi groups on the other, where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned that the regime forces with their loyal gunmen managed to enter the north-western outskirts of Khan Shaykhun city for the first time since 2014, where they captured buildings in it after a counter-offensive on positions of the factions where the regime forces launched their attack from the their positions in Kafr Taab at the western outskirts of Khan Shaykhun.

In connection to this, the SOHR documented more human losses due to the ongoing battles south of Idlib in addition to the aerial and ground bombardment, where it rose to 59 including 43 Jihadis, the number of fighters who were killed in the aerial and ground bombardment and clashes against the regime forces since after midnight, also it rose to 28, the number of members of the regime forces and the militiamen loyal to them who were killed, and the death toll is expected to rise because there are some people in critical situation, in addition to information about other casualties.

And with the fall of more casualties, it rose to at least 3582, the number of people who were killed since the 30th of April 2019, the date of start of the most violent escalation in terms of aerial and ground bombardment, shelling, and targeting since Putin – Erdogan agreement, until the 18th of August 2019, and they are: 945 civilians including 237 children and 172 citizen women, and they are 199 including 41 children and 41 women, and 7 of the civil defense and 5 of the ambulance team were killed in Russian aerial bombardment on the countryside of Idlib and Hama, and 69 including 15 women and 10 children were killed in the fall of barrel bombs, and 491 including 140 children, 82 women, and 4 members of the rescue teams were killed in targeting by regime’s warplanes, also 107 people including 20 women and 20 children were killed in a ground shelling carried out by the regime forces, and 79 citizens including 26 children and 13 women were killed in shelling by the factions on al-Suqaylabiyah, Qamhana, Al-Rasif, Al-Aziziyah, Karnaz, Jurin, Al-Nairab Camp, neighborhoods in Aleppo city and its southern countryside, while at least 1416 fighters were killed in the Russian airstrikes and the regime’s aerial and ground shelling including 916 of the Jihadis, in addition to killing of 1221 members of the regime forces in targeting and shelling by jihadi groups and factions.

And during the period between the 15th of February 2019; the date of the meeting of “Rouhani – Erdogan – Putin” until the 18th of August 2019, and Syrian Observatory documented the death of 4111 people in the Russian – Turkish truce areas, they are 1231 civilians including 319 children under the age of eighteen and 236 women over the age of eighteen, they were killed in the Russian aerial bombardment and the rocket shelling by the regime forces and the factions, and among the death toll of civilians there are 105 people including 31 children under the age of eighteen and 17 citizen women over the age of eighteen, they were killed in the fall of shells launched by the factions, and 1502 fighters were killed in different conditions within the demilitarized area since Putin – Erdogan agreement, including 961 fighters of the “Jihadis” and 1378 of the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them.

While the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented since the start of the Russian – Turkish truce the death of 4341 people in areas of Erdogan – Putin agreement, they are: 1314 civilians including 348 children and 250 women, were killed in shelling by the regime forces and the militiamen loyal to them, targeting, and bombardment by warplanes, and among them there are 106 people including 31 children and 16 women, were killed in the fall of shells launched by the factions, and 1569 fighters were killed in deferent circumstances within the demilitarized area since Putin – Erdogan agreement, including 1063 of the “Jihadi” fighters, and 1458 members of the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them.