(Zaman Al Wasl)- Russia's airstrikes on Tuesday have struck Tahrir al-Sham bastions in northern Idlib province, leaving 12 field commanders dead and its leader Abu Mohammad al-Golani severely injured , Russian Defense ministry and local activists said.
The strikes targeted Abu al-Dhuhour military airbase that controlled by the former al-Qaeda branch in the eastern countryside of Idlib.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Wednesday that the airstrike had killed 12 Nusra Front field commanders and seriously injured the group’s leader.
The air strike came after Russia’s military intelligence uncovered the time and place of a meeting of the leaders of the Nusra Front, including its head Abu Mohammad al-Golani, on Oct. 3, defense ministry spokesman Igor Konashekov said in a statement.
“As a result of the strike, the Nusra Front leader, Abu Mohammad al-Golani, sustained numerous shrapnel wounds and, having lost an arm, is in a critical condition, according to information from several independent sources,” Konashenkov said.
Together with around 50 guards, 12 Nusra Front field commanders were killed, he added.
The death toll of the Russian airstrikes reached a total of 200, including women and children, in a week of heavy bombing that shattered a six-month halt in intensive aerial raids in opposition-held northwestern parts of Syria.
The renewed bombing campaign came after an array of jihadist rebels led by the formerly known as Nusra Front in Idlib and Hama ten days ago waged a wide-scale offensive against regime-controlled areas in northern Hama.
“We have pulled 152 bodies and we have rescued 279 civilians since the Russian and regime bombing campaign,” said Salem Abu al Azem, a senior rescue worker from the Civil Defence in Idlib, adding bodies were still being pulled out of the wreckage of buildings flattened by air raids, Reuters reported.
Russia’s defense ministry says it is attacking hard-line Islamist militants. It denies accusations it has targeted infrastructure and medical centers to force rebels into local truces that effectively restore Bashar al Assad’s grip on the country.
The strikes began with intensive bombing of towns and cities in southern Idlib where Tahrir al-Sham has large presence but in recent days have spread to most towns across the province that borders Turkey.
Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Tuesday that Turkey is luring militants away from Tahrir al-Sham alliance in Idlib as a step toward implementing a deal to reduce violence there.
Idlib is one of four “de-escalation” zones which foreign powers agreed to establish in opposition territory in western Syria after years of civil war. But Tahrir al-Sham has pledged to keep fighting Syrian government forces and their allies.
The ex-Nusra Front’s stance has raised doubt about how Turkey, one of three parties to the agreement, can proceed with plans to deploy observers inside Idlib. Russia and Iran, the other two countries involved, are due to police its edges. (With Agencies)
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