Following Turkish forces’ withdrawal from post in Sahl Al-Ghab | 11 combatants ki*lled in H-T-S attack on regime positions in Latakia
SOHR activists have documented the death of four members of Hayyaat Tahrir Al-Sham and seven regime soldiers in an attack by the HTS-backed brigade of “Othman Ibn Affan” on regime positions on Tallat Al-Burkan frontline in the northern countryside of Latakia, where violent clashes with heavy and medium weapons erupted between the two sides.
On the other hand, regime forces fired artillery shells on the surrounding areas of Al-Sarmaniya, Duwayr Al-Akrad and Al-Qarqour villages in Sahl Al-Ghabin in the western countryside of Hama.
HTS attacks comes a few days after the withdrawal of Turkish forces from their post in Qastoun as a part of Turkish-Russian understandings and deals.
On February 1, SOHR sources reported that the Turkish forces moved cement blocks from the Turkish checkpoint in Qaston town in Sahl Al-Ghab area in north western Hama countryside towards the northern checkpoint, where the Turkish trucks crossed the road between Aleppo and Lattakia, and headed towards the checkpoints on northern of the road between Aleppo and Lattakia.
Since early 2023, SOHR has documented 30 operations in the “de-escalation zone,” including attacks, gunfire by snipers and bombardment, which left 81 combatants and civilians dead. In addition, these operations left over 48 combatants and six civilians, including children, injured.
The fatalities can be distributed as follows:
- Three civilians were killed by regime forces.
- 56 members of regime forces, including five officers.
- 20 members of Hayyaat Tahrir Al-Sham, including a French jihadist.
- Two members of the jihadist faction of “Ansar Al-Tawheed.”