(Zaman Al Wasl)- Syrian rebels on Tuesday have thwarted a fresh incursion attempt by regime forces and allied militias into strategic Kabina hilltops in coastal Latakia province, killing 12 troops, sources told Zaman al-Wasl.
The regime army seeks to take back four hilltops seized by the Turkish-backed fighters on Friday.
The overnight attack on Kabina hilltops in Mount Turkman came after two weeks of scattered clashes as regime has been mobilizing troops in the southern countryside of Idlib, seeking to take the last rebel stronghold near Latakia city.
The regime has been using heavy aerial and ground bombardment but rebels are still showing fierce resistance.
The moderate rebels have showed resistance by thwarting several incursion attempts by the regime forces and allied Russian Special Forces in the southern countryside of Idlib and Kabina hilltops.
Clashes at the Kabina battlefront have left dozens of army troops killed and wounded, activists said.
In Idlib province, three civilians, including two children, were killed Monday in regime airstrikes on the embattled opposition bastion.
The strikes hit the villages of al-Kafayr and al-Janpidiya, and the town of Jisr al-Shughour. Dozens of people were wounded.
The Idlib region, which is home to some three million people, including many displaced by the eight-year war, is controlled by Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate.
Bashar al-Assad's forces launched a devastating military campaign against Idlib in April, killing around 1,000 civilians and forcing more than 400,000 people to flee their homes.
But a ceasefire announced by the regime's major backer Moscow has largely held since late August, though the Observatory says skirmishes persist.
Al-Assad, who now controls around 60 percent of the country, has vowed to reclaim the rest, including Idlib and small pockets in Latakia.
Eight years of war in Syria have killed 560,000 people and driven half the pre-war population of 22 million from their homes, including more than 6 million as refugees to neighbouring countries.
Zaman Al Wasl
Comments About This Article
Please fill the fields below.