The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

9 members of Hayyaat Tahrir Al-Sham out of 11 are killed in a booby-trap explosion targeted gathering of vehicles of Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham in Idlib city

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned that 11 people including 9 members of Hayyaat Tahrir Al-Sham were killed by a booby trapped vehicle explosion in several vehicles of Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham near al-Ziraa roundabout area in city Idlib, and the death toll is expected to rise because there are some people in critical situation.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also published that Idlib is witnessing a state of alert, amid tension in the city because of withdrawal of the Islamic Movement of Ahrar Al-Sham from the city towards the southern countryside of Idlib, and being expelled from institutions and administrations of Idlib city, and the control of Hayyaat Tahrir Al-Sham of the city and the checkpoints scattered between the city and the rest of the villages and towns east and north of the city, and the activists of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored spread of checkpoints of fighters of Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham in the vicinity of the city and its entrances, also the checkpoints where fighters of Ahrar al-Sham used to be positioned in as well as their headquarters have become empty of any member who follows Ahrar al-Sham , where tens of vehicles and cars and hundreds of members have withdrawn from Idlib city to the southern countryside of Idlib. The withdrawal of the Islamic Movement of Ahrar Al-Sham makes it lose for the first time its military presence as a dominant force in most of the north of Idlib, its eastern countryside and in the city of Idlib, where Ahrar al-Sham Movement was mainly involved in the process of controlling the entire Idlib province during the first third of 2015, reliable sources confirmed that the withdrawal of Ahrar al-Sham was towards the southern sector of Idlib province, and to Sahl Al-Ghab area in the northern countryside of Hama, while the information is still conflicted about who is controlling Bennesh city near the towns of Al-Fu’ah and Kafriya, which are inhabited by Shiite citizens in the northeast countryside of Idlib, where the absence of members of Ahrar al-Sham was noted and attempt by Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham to impose its control over it.

In the same context, 2 powerful explosions shook Idlib city amid the sounds of intense gunfire, the sources said that it might be caused by an exchange of gunfire between fighters within the city, while no information about the identities of the warring groups yet, the clashes were concentrated in the vicinity of the al-Ziraa roundabout and Idlib’s Security building, while crossed sources suggested that one of the explosions may have been caused by an explosion of a booby trapped vehicle in several vehicles of Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham near al-Ziraa roundabout area, where a person was killed and about 30 others were injured in an explosion of 2 IEDs at al-Sa’aa roundabout in the city.

The calm prevails the entire Idlib province calm prevails the entire Idlib province since the sundown of yesterday Friday the 21st of July 2017, after an agreement that took place between the Islamic Movement of Ahrar Al-Sham and Hayyaat Tahrir Al-Sham, after the most intense and widespread fight between both parties in Idlib province and the north of the Syria, which broke out on the 18th of July 2017, where both parties agreed to a ceasefire and to release the detained by both parties, and also to evacuate Bab-Hawa border crossing with Turkey from the factions and hand it over to a civilian administration to oversee and run it.

The fight witnessed a control and withdrawal by the Islamic movement of Ahrar Al-Sham as well as Hayyaat Tahrir Al-Sham, while most of the factions operating in the area and battalions and groups belong to both parties stayed out of this fight.

Where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored the control of Hayyaat Tahrir Al-Sham of Sarmada, Harem, Ram Hamdan, Saraqeb, al-Ftirah , Kafr Owaid, and the villages of Tramla, Karsa’aa, al-Faqie’a, Maarrat al-Sien, Qassabiyyeh, B’aarbo in Shashabo Mountain, Dana, Salqin, Jarjanaz, Ma’ershmarin and Ma’asaran east of Maarrat Al-Nu’man, and Atmah, Qah, Aqrabat, Bab al-Hawa and its surroundings, Al-Hbit, Abdeen, Hersh Abdeen, Kafr Yahmoul, Maarrat Mesrin and Maarrat Hermeh, while the factions were evacuated from Saraqeb and Maarrat al-Nu’man, but their control still follows Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented 92 of fighters and civilians who were killed in this fight, they are: 77 members and fighters of the Islamic Movement of Ahrar Al-Sham and Hayyaat Tahrir Al-Sham, all of them were killed in executions, shootings and targeting and during clashes between both sides since the outbreak of the fighting, and 15 civilians at least and they are 4 children and 7 civilians including an activist, a man, a woman, a girl, another man and his child, in addition to 4 other persons were killed in the shelling, clashes and targeting between both parties since the beginning of their fight.