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Militants occupying the northwestern Syrian region of Greater Idlib are planning to accuse Syrian and Russian troops of using weapons against the civilian population, Rear Admiral Oleg Gurinov, deputy chief of the Russian Center for Reconciliation of the Opposing Parties in Syria, warned on April 20.
Several militant groups are active in Greater Idlib, where the Turkish military maintains a fairly large presence. However, the region is under the de-facto control of al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).
“According to information received by the Russian reconciliation center from residents of the Idlib de-escalation zone, field commanders from illegal armed groups are readying provocations aimed at accusing the armed forces of Syria and Russia of unjustified use of weapons against the civilian population in the town of Deir Sunbul [in the southern Idlib countryside],” said Gurinov.
The Russian officer went on to call upon the commanders of militant groups in Greater Idlib to refrain from provocations and join the reconciliation process.
HTS and its allies launched dozens of attacks, including raids as well as rocket and drone strikes, from Greater Idlib in the last few months in a blatant violation of a ceasefire that was brokered by Russia and Turkey nearly three years ago.
On April 20 and 21, HTS militants targeted several positions of Syrian government forces in the northern Lattakia countryside, the southern Idlib countryside and the western countryside of Aleppo with mortars and recoilless guns. No losses were reported, however.
The escalation in the region is apparently meant to sabotage Russian-sponsored normalization talks between Ankara and Damascus.
Militants fear that the Turkish military could withdraw from Greater Idlib to fulfill demands by Damascus. This would open the door for Syrian government forces to resume ground operations in order to liberate the region from HTS and other groups.
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