Syrian regime kills and injures farmers in Idlib province

Local sources told The New Arab’s Arabic-language service that the farmers were harvesting figs, which are currently in season in Syria, on the outskirts of the town of Al-Fatirah in southern Idlib.

The sources said that the Syrian regime forces bombarded Al-Fatirah with missile batteries and heavy artillery. Civil defence crews then arrived to dig up the bodies of victims and evacuate the survivors to the nearest medical point.

Syrian regime planes also bombed several other villages in Idlib province on Friday, causing material damage.

On Wednesday, three other farmers harvesting figs were injured when a landmine exploded near the town of Al-Bara.

Syrian opposition forces bombed regime positions in response to the latest attacks. They announced that they had destroyed a 130 millimetre M-46 field gun belonging to the regime.

On Thursday night, a Turkish military convoy entered Idlib province via the Kafr Lusin border crossing. Turkey, which backs Syrian rebels, maintains a number of military observation posts in Idlib.

The convoy was made up of 20 military vehicles, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

In late 2019 and early 2020, the regime and its ally Russia launched a bloody campaign to try and capture Idlib province, the last remaining stronghold of anti-Assad rebels in Syria, killing hundreds of civilians and displacing nearly a million more. The campaign prompted Turkey to intervene against the Assad regime.

In March this year, Turkey and Russia agreed to a ceasefire in the war-ravaged province, but it is frequently violated by the regime.

More than 500,000 people have been killed and millions more have been displaced in Syria since 2011, when the Assad regime brutally suppressed anti-Assad protests.