Putin-Erdogan area in 26 days | Nearly 90 regime soldiers and jihadists killed and injured as HTS escalates attacks
Hayyat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) and the factions operating under its banner in Putin-Erdogan area continue to escalate their attacks, targeting regime forces and their proxy militias.
Since January 2023, HTS has intensified its attacks, targeting the positions of the regime forces on several frontlines in northern Latakia countryside, western Aleppo countryside and Idlib countryside.
HTS has escalated anti-regime attacks since the talk of rapprochement between the Turkish and Syrian regimes, as HTS aims to attract and win public opinion in northern Syria that rejects Turkish rapprochement with the regime.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) has documented the death of 74 combatants and the injuring of more than 41 others during 19 operations, attacks, suicide operations, sniper attacks, and clashes in “Putin-Erdogan” area.
The fatalities are as follows:
• 31 regime personnel, including an officer.
• 14 HTS members, including a French jihadist.
• Two members of “Ansar Al-Tawheed” jihadist faction.
Moreover, these attacks left a number of civilians dead and injured; they are as follows:
• A man and a woman were killed by shells fired by regime forces.
• Six civilians, including children, were injured.
Here are further details of attacks in “Putin-Erdogan” area since early January 2023:
• January 2: A member of Hayyaat Tahrir Al-Sham was killed in clashes with regime forces on the frontlines of western Aleppo countryside.
• January 5: A woman and her children were injured by rocket fire by regime forces that hit Al-Forosiyah camp for displaced persons between Kafraya and Al-Fu’ah town near Idlib.
• January 10: Five regime soldiers and their proxy militiamen, and three HTS members were killed and six regime soldiers and a number of HTS members were injured in an attack by Hayyat Tahrir Al-Sham that hit positions of the regime forces on Bastroun frontline in the western countryside of Aleppo in “Putin-Erdogan” area.
• January 11: Three regime soldiers were killed and four HTS members were injured in an attack by members of “Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq” brigade of Hayyaat Tahrir Al-Sham that targeted positions of regime forces on a hill in Kawkaba village in Jabal Al-Zawiyah in southern Idlib countryside.
• January 11: Four regime soldiers were killed, and five others injured in a suicide operation carried out by Ahrar Al-Sham members on regime positions on Bala frontline in the western countryside of Aleppo.
• January 13: A regime soldier was injured when members of “Al-Fath Al-Mubin” opened fire at him on Qubtan Al-Jabal frontline in the western countryside of Aleppo.
• January 14: Four regime soldiers were killed, and two others were injured, in violent clashes with heavy weapons and machine guns that erupted when Hayyat Tahrir Al-Sham waged an attack on regime positions on Nahshaba frontline in the northern countryside of Latakia.
• January 14: A member of the HTS-backed “Luwaa Al-Zobair Bin Al-Awam” died of wounds he sustained during an infiltration operation by regime forces on Al-Nayrab frontline in eastern Idlib countryside in “Putin-Erdogan” area.
• January 16: A regime lieutenant was shot dead by a sniper of the 2nd Coastal Regiment faction on Kilis frontline in the northern countryside of Latakia.
• January 16: A French jihadist, Abu Hamza, was buried in Jabal Al-Zawiyah, after he was killed a day earlier in an infiltration operation by regime forces on the frontlines of Jabal Al-Zawiyah.
• January 18: Two jihadists of Ansar Al-Tawhid faction were killed, following a suicide operation on the positions of the regime forces, on Maarat Muzhas frontline, south of Idlib.
• January 18: A civilian was killed by regime rockets that hit Al-Bara town in Jabal Al-Zawiyah in the southern countryside of Idlib.
• January 19: A regime soldier was shot dead by Al-Fath Al-Mubin sniper on Saraqib frontline in the eastern Idlib countryside in Putin-Erdogan area.
• January 19: Five regime soldiers and three members of Omar Ibn Al-Khattab brigade of Hayyat Tahrir Al-Sham were killed during clashes following the attack carried out by HTS on the positions of the regime forces on Urm Al-Kubra frontline in the western countryside of Aleppo.
• January 19: a captain of the “25 Special Tasks” division led by “Suhayil Al-Hassan” was shot dead by “Al-Fath Al-Mubin” sniper on Sahl Al-Ghab frontline in north-western Hama countryside.
• January 19: Five people, including three children, were injured in artillery shells fired by the regime forces on Qastoun village in Sahl Al-Ghab in north-western Hama countryside.
• January 22: A woman in her thirties was killed in artillery shelling by regime forces on Kafr Nuran village in the western countryside of Aleppo.
• January 22: A “captain” of regime forces was killed in clashes between regime forces and Al-Fath Al-Mubin factions on Al-Sheikh Suleiman frontline in the western countryside of Aleppo.
• January 23: A regime soldier was shot dead by a sniper of “Al-Fath Al-Mubin” operations room factions on Nairab frontline in the eastern Idlib countryside in “Putin-Erdogan” area.
• January 23: Three HTS members of Talha Ibin Ubayd Allah brigade were killed, and four others were injured when nearly 30 regime artillery shells hit faction positions one Kafr Nuran frontline in the western countryside of Aleppo, in “Putin-Erdogan” area.
• January 24: Three regime soldiers were killed in an attack by Ahrar Al-Sham Islamic Movement on regime positions on Al-Tuffahiyah frontline in Jabal Al-Akrad in northern Latakia countryside.
• January 26: Two regime soldiers were killed by a shooter of “Al-Fath Al-Mubin” operations room faction on Dadikh frontline in the eastern countryside of Idlib.
In December 2022, Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) documented 30 operations, suicide attacks, sniper attacks and repelling infiltration attempts by HTS members. These attacks left 45 regime soldiers, including six officers in “Putin-Erdogan” area, dead.