(Zaman Al Wasl)- Syrian regime forces backed by Shiite militias took the strategic town of Senjar in the southern countryside of Idlib province, regime-run news feeds said.
The expected gains followed accusations for Hayat Tahrir al-Sham of collusion with the regime army in Hama and Idlib provinces.
94 villages and towns have been seized by regime forces since the began to its assault in Idlib and Hama on November 22, 2017, activists and rebels commanders said.
Mohammed Aloush, senior commander in Jaish al-Isalm and former chief negotiator in Geneva talks has accused an alliance spearheaded by the former al-Qaeda offshoot of collusion with the regime forces who made rapid gains in the province of Hama and Idlib over the last two weeks.
Aloush, vis his official Twitter account, said (Jabhat al-Julani) has handed over 14 villages to regime forces in the past 24 hours.
Aloush has accused Abu Mohammad al-Julani, the commander-in-chief of Tahrir al-Sham, of 'delivering Idlib to regime forces.
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More voices critical to Tahrir al-Sham said Tahrir al-Sham of hindering the de-escalation zone agreement where Russia, Iran and Turkey agreed last September to deploy Turkish forces in the northern province to protect civilians as regime forces backed by Russia's air force stepping up bombing on Idlib.
The regime push near Idlib, the fourth de-escalation zone, follows two months of sporadic fighting has displaced more than 60,000 people.
The three countries agreed in the Kazakh capital, Astana to deploy forces in Idlib, which is under the control of the former al-Qaeda offshoot, known as al-Nusra Front.
Local activists welcomed the Turkish deployment that took place just in small territory in Idlib while most of the province still under Tahrir al-Sham's control.
According to a map obtained by Zaman al-Wasl, the three countries divided Idlib, into three parts, with Turkish forces and opposition fighters in the northwest region bordering Turkey.
But Tahrir al-Sham allowed the Turkish army to enter three areas of 12 in the green part what undermined the agreement which stated that Russian have the right to strike strongholds of former al-Qaeda group.
The blue part is under control of Ahrar al-Sham which is the most quiet zone in Idlib, while the purple zone -neutral zone- is under control of local councils where no opposition factions or regime troops should have precene.
Activists say rebel faction refuse to flee the zone, saying regime forces will enter the zone as they leave.
The zones planned to include, fully or partly, Eastern Ghouta and the provinces of Idlib, Homs, Latakia, Aleppo and Hama.
Russia refused to include Deir Ezzor, sources told to Zaman al-Wasl.
According to al-Jazeera English, the plan calls for the cessation of hostilities between opposition armed groups and forces fighting on behalf of Bashar al-Assad in four so-called de-escalation zones in mainly opposition-held areas of the country, with Russia, Turkey and Iran to act as guarantors.
Zaman A Wasl
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