The Syrian Army forces entered the key town of Khan Shaykhun in Idlib province for the first time since 2014 after heavy clashes with terrorists and anti-government militants, a UK-based war monitor said.

The Syrian troops “entered the town of Khan Shaykhun for the first since they lost control of it in 2014,” according to the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The town serves as a major bastion for terrorists in northwestern Idlib province.

Reports say clashes are underway between the Syrian forces and Nusra Front terrorists. The army operations have focused on Nusra fortifications in Khan Shaykhun, leaving many terrorists dead or injured.

Idlib remains the only large area in the hands of foreign-backed terrorists after the Syrian army managed to wrest back control of almost all of the country’s land, undoing militants’ gains.

The government forces have gained more ground against Takfiri militants in the southern edge of Idlib in their latest offensive that was launched last week.

On Sunday, Syrian army troops and their allies established full control over Kfaridoun and Sabbaghiyah farms, which lie in an area between the towns of Madaya and Kafrsajna.

Earlier in the day, Syrian soldiers managed to regain control over Tal Kfar Idoun area, which is located west of a key highway that connects the capital Damascus with the strategic northern city of Aleppo.

They also managed to retake the village of Tel al-Nar and nearby farmland northwest of Khan Shaykhun on Sunday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

On August 5, the Syrian army declared in a statement the start of an offensive against foreign-sponsored militants in Idlib after those positioned in the de-escalation zone failed to honor a ceasefire brokered by Russia and Turkey and continued to target civilian neighborhoods.

Military expert to ST: Liberation of Khan Sheikhoun in Idleb will be a direct military defeat for Turkish regime

The military and strategic expert has asserted that the liberation of Khan Sheikhoun city will tighten the noose on terrorist organizations’ strongholds in the northern countryside of Hama and it will be a direct military defeat for the Turkish occupation forces in Morek area and in the East of the city.

Retired Brigadier-General Haitham Hassoun told the Syria Times e-newspaper that the importance of Khan Sheikhoun city lies in the fact that it is the terrorists’ largest stronghold in the south of Idleb.

“The liberation of this city will lead to the recapture of the other terrorists’ strongholds in the north of Hama with less human and material cost, and it will put the southern part of Hama-Aleppo road under the supervision of Syrian army for the first time. It will also be a moral defeat for terrorist organizations on all fronts,” the expert added.

As for Turkish regime’s attempts to hinder Syrian army’s advance in Idleb battle, the retired officer made it clear that Turkey has been informed about Syrian army’s determination to liberate Idleb militarily after the failure of Turkey to abide by its obligations in Sochi talks.

“Any move by the Turkish occupation forces will be firmly confronted and this was translated into action when Turkish regime tried yesterday to send vehicles loaded with ammunition, weapons and material equipment through the Syrian-Turkish borders to the defeated terrorists in Khan Sheikhoun city,” the military expert stressed.

He underscored that the Turkish regime can’t hinder the Syrian army’s military operations, but it will go ahead with offering logistic support to terrorists without direct involvement in fighting with Syrian army.

“The Turkish enemy will not be involved in a direct battle with Syrian army because this will end in a major regional war,” Retired Brigadier-General Hassoun concluded.

Filed under: Al Qaeda, Brotherhood, Moderate Terrorist, Nusra Front, Russia, SAA, Syria, Takfiris, War on Syria | Tagged: AngloZionist Empire, Hama, Khan Sheikhoun, Liberation of Idlib | </s> In a major blow to Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its allies, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) has liberated the key town of Khan Shaykhun in southern Idlib.

Pro-government sources confirmed that army units entered Khan Shaykhun in the afternoon of August 21. All militants reportedly fled the town few hours earlier.

Khan Shaykhun, one of the biggest urban centers in southern Idlib, was a key stronghold of HTS. The town is located on a highway linking the Syrian capital, Damascus, with Aleppo, the country’s industrial center.

The SAA is now advancing northeast of Khan Shaykhun towards its positions near the newly-captured village of Tar’i. Army units are also storming the town of Murak, south of Khan Shaykhun.

Meanwhile, the fate of the Turkish observation post in northern Hama remains unclear. Initial reports indicate that it may have been besieged by the SAA.

BEIRUT, LEBANON (6:45 P.M.) – The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) has completely cutoff the militants from all supply lines in southern Idlib and northern Hama, a source from the military told Al-Masdar this evening. According to the military source, the Syrian Arab Army forces at the Khan Sheikhoun front has met up with the troops near the town of Al-Ta’manah; thus, completing the encirclement of this region in northwestern Syria. In addition to besieging the militants, the Syrian Arab Army has also cutoff the Turkish military at the Morek observation post from all of its supply roads. The Turkish military will have to coordinate with their Russian allies because they are allowed access to the Hama-Idlib Highway, per the September 17th, 2018 Sochi Agreement. At this time, the Syrian Arab Army is still clearing Khan Sheikhoun after entering the city from all axes. Furthermore, the Syrian military’s 5th Corps and Republican Guard are advancing through the Al-Ta’manah area in a bid to secure the town and the remaining points under militant control. As a result of this week’s gains, the Syrian Arab Army has scored a major victory against the jihadist rebels, who previously vowed to defend this region until the last man.

More on this topic:
• Syrian Army Captures New Positions In Southern Idlib, Closes In On Khan Shaykhun
• Breaking: Syrian Army entering Khan Sheikhoun from all axes to take control of city
• Syrian Army still not in control of Khan Sheikhoun despite media claims
• Syrian Army uncovers caves used by militants in southern Idlib: video

Filed under: Al Qaeda, Brotherhood, Erdogan, neo-Ottoman, Nusra Front, SAA, Syria, Takfiris, Turkey, War on Syria | Tagged: AngloZionist Empire, Khan Sheikhoun, Liberation of Idlib, Syrian victory | </s> Syrian government forces stormed the town of Khan Sheikhoun yesterday amid fierce clashes with armed opposition groups, leaving dozens dead.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the government’s ground troops penetrated Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib province for the first time since they lost control of it in 2014.

Khan Sheikhoun is the most important city in the southern Idlib countryside as it contains a strategic highway links Aleppo to Damascus. Regime forces have been aiming to take control of it, according to political analysts.

Bashar Assad’s forces are trying to advance deeper in Khan Sheikhoun in order to encircle the strategic town from the north and west and to seize the key highway, but they are facing resistance from opposition fighters.

READ: Six years after the chemical attack in Ghouta, have we learnt its lessons? </s> BEIRUT, LEBANON (9:10 A.M.) – A source from the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) told Al-Masdar News on Tuesday morning that the militants have begun withdrawing from the city of Khan Sheikhoun and several towns in northern Hama.

According to the source, the militants have begun withdrawing from Khan Sheikhoun, Al-Latamnah, Kafr Zita, Morek, Latmeen, and several other areas.

This latest report comes just a day after the jihadist rebels lost a great deal of territory to the Syrian Arab Army at the northern axis of Khan Sheikhoun.

With the Turkish Army’s decision to not to enter Khan Sheikhoun, the militants are only left with two choices: stay and face a potential siege or withdraw and secure others areas in northern Syria.

MILITANTS ARE WITHDRAWING FROM TOWNS IN NORTHERN HAMA FEARING INEVITABLE FALL OF KHAN SHAYKHUN: REPORTS

Late on August 19, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and the Tiger Forces started storming the militant stronghold of Khan Shaykhun in southern Idlib.

By August 20 morning, they had not liberated the town yet. However, according to both pro-militant and pro-government sources, Khan Shaykhun is about to fall into the hands of government troops.

Memanwhile, reports are surfacing that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra) and other radical militant groups that have been for a long time in control of the area are now withdrawing from northern Hama and the countryside of Khan Shaykhun to the north.
• Government Troops Are Storming Khan Shaykhun After Cutting Off M5 Highway North Of It (Maps)
• GOVERNMENT TROOPS ARE STORMING KHAN SHAYKHUN AFTER CUTTING OFF M5 HIGHWAY NORTH OF IT (MAPS)
• Syrian Army breaks through militant lines to advance on Khan Sheikhoun: video

Filed under: SAA, Syria, War on Syria | Tagged: AngloZionist Empire, Hama, Khan Sheikhoun, Liberation of Idlib | </s> DAMASCUS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th August, 2019) The Syrian Armed Forces have liberated two towns in Syria's rebel-held northeastern province of Idlib and are advancing toward the city of Khan Shaykhun, the militants' key strategic stronghold, local media reported.

On Sunday, Syrian troops liberated the town of Hobait, a strategically important town in Idlib. By establishing control over Hobait, the government forces gained access to Khan Shaykhun, roughly six miles away.

According to Syria's Sham FM radio broadcaster, government forces gained control of Kafr Ain and Hass, two villages to the east of Hobait, on Wednesday.

In early August, Syria's government forces declared that they were resuming military operations in the provinces of Idlib and Hama, citing the militants' refusal to observe a ceasefire deal, which had gone into effect on August 1, by launching several attacks on civilians in nearby areas.

Terrorist organizations operating in Idlib include the Nusra Front and Islamic State (both banned in Russia). </s> Syrian opposition forces have withdrawn from the strategic town of Khan Sheikhoun, deep in the last rebel-held province.

Government forces, backed by Russia, closed in on the town in recent weeks, five years after rebels took over.

Rebels told the BBC that fighters pulled out of the town on Tuesday.

But an official statement from the main jihadist group in Idlib province, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), characterised it as a “redeployment” of forces.

The fate of the town seemed to be in flux on Tuesday, as the UK-based monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported it had fallen to government forces.

But then HTS issued a statement saying it had redeployed its fighters in the town after coming under a major bombardment.

Khan Sheikhoun has long been a flashpoint in Syria’s civil war.

It was the site of a chemical weapons attack in 2017, which UN experts blamed on Syria. The incident prompted military strikes by the United States.

The conflict in Syria has been going on for more than eight years.

It has been the subject of a major offensive by the forces of President Bashar al-Assad in recent months. Hundreds of civilians have been killed, and hundreds of thousands more driven from their homes.

Idlib province – along with parts of northern Hama and western Aleppo – make up the last strongholds of the armed opposition.

Last year, a deal struck between Russia and Turkey – who back opposing sides in the civil war – was supposed to create a “buffer zone” to protect civilians and limit a major government offensive.

However, government forces have escalated their attacks in recent months, nearly encircling Khan Sheikhoun and the surrounding territory.

On Monday, a Turkish convoy was hit by a government air strike – with Syria alleging the vehicles were on their way to reinforce Khan Sheikhoun. </s> On August 21, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and the Tiger Forces liberated the town of Khan Shaykhun and the areas of Khazanat and Tal Taeri, thus fully encircling remaining militants in northern Hama.

The Hayat Tahrir al-Sham strong points of Kafr Zita, Lataminah, and Morek, as well as the nearby settlements of Lahaya, Markabah, Latmin and Sayad are now fully cut off from their radical counterparts in the Idlib zone. A Morek observation post, where Turkish troops are deployed, is also encircled.

Khan Shaykhun, located on a highway linking Damascus with Aleppo, is one of the biggest urban centers in southern Idlib. For years, it had served as the key stronghold of al-Qaeda-linked militants. Currently, SAA troops are working to secure their recent gains and preparing for a further push to clear the rest of northern Hama.

Reacting to the Syrian military advance, a Turkish presidential spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin, saidthat all observation posts, including the one near Murak, will remain in their positions in Greater Idlib. He also revealed that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will speak with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on the phone over the situation in Idlib in the next couple of days.

These remarks were accompanied with common Turkish media propaganda accusing the SAA of violating the ceasefire regime and oppressing so-called moderate rebels. But in fact, Turkey just admitted its tactical loss and inability to rescue militants in this part of Syria.

Another important point of Kalin’s statement was dedicated to the US-Turkish ‘safe-zone’ agreement on northern Syria. According to the Turkish side, joint partrols US and Turkish forces will soon be launched east of the Euphrates, within the area controlled by US-backed Kurdish groups. Ankara see these groups as terrorist organizations and has repeatedly shelled their positions. So, it will be interesting to look how this claim will be implemented if US-backed formations remain deployed in the areas of supposed joint patrols.

BEIRUT, LEBANON (10:10 P.M.) – The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) scored a major victory in the southern countryside of the Idlib Governorate this week when the jihadist rebels abandoned several areas, including the strategic city of Khan Sheikhoun. Since the militant withdrawal from Khan Sheikhoun, the Syrian Arab Army has moved into the city and begun clearing the empty neighborhoods, while also securing other areas east of the city. According to a military source near the front-lines, the Syrian Arab Army has completed the siege of northern Hama after capturing several points near the town of Al-Ta’manah in the southern countryside of Idlib. While Al-Ta’manah has not been captured, the Syrian Army has seized most of the points south and east of the town, leaving only a small area left under the control of the jihadist rebels. At the same time, with the Ta’manah-Khan Sheikhoun Road closed off, the Turkish Armed Forces now find themselves encircled by the Syrian Arab Army at the town of Morek. Turkey has already announced that they will not abandon their observation post at Morek, despite the recent militant setbacks. The Turkish regime has also warned the Syrian military about “playing with fire” in this area, especially after the Syrian Air Force almost hit their military convoy in southern Idlib.

Filed under: Al Qaeda, Erdogan, neo-Ottoman, SAA, The 5 Seas Region, Turkey, USA, War on Syria | Tagged: Hama, Khan Sheikhoun, Liberation of Idlib | </s> Khan Sheikhoun, a town located on a key road leading to Idlib, the last militant-controlled province in Syria, is on the brink of returning to government control, as jihadist forces which controlled it for years withdraw.

The withdrawal has been preceded by heavy fighting near the town between forces loyal to Damascus and the extremists entrenched in Khan Sheikhoun. Since 2014 the town has been under the control of the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), previously known as Al Nusra Front, linked to Al-Qaeda.

The town made international headlines back in April 2017 when it allegedly witnessed a chemical attack, which the US and its allies quickly blamed on the Syrian government. Washington ordered a strike on the Syrian forces’ Shayrat air base within days after the alleged incident. A subsequent investigation by a joint investigative mechanism launched by the UN and an international chemical watchdog, the OPCW, was conducted remotely and was slammed by Russia as “unprofessional.”

Think your friends would be interested? Share this story! </s> Syrian regime forces captured a string of insurgent-held villages in northwest Syria on Thursday, inching closer to a key jihadist-run town in the Idlib region, a war monitor said

Beirut, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - APP - 15th Aug, 2019 ) :Syrian regime forces captured a string of insurgent-held villages in northwest Syria on Thursday, inching closer to a key jihadist-run town in the Idlib region, a war monitor said.

Over the past week, pro-Assad fighters have advanced on the southern edges of Idlib province, controlled by Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).

On Thursday, regime loyalists stood just three kilometres (1.8 miles) away from the key town of Khan Sheikhun, after capturing five villages to its northwest overnight, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The town lies on a key highway coveted by the regime.

The road in question runs through Idlib, connecting government-held Damascus with the northern city of Aleppo, which was retaken by loyalists from rebels in December 2016.

"The aim of the advance is to surround Khan Sheikhun and reach the highway," Observatory head Rami Abdul Rahman told AFP.

Fighting in southern Idlib on Thursday killed five regime combatants and 11 jihadists and allied rebels, said the Britain-based monitor.

A day earlier jihadists downed a regime plane near Khan Sheikhun, and took the pilot prisoner.
The Syrian Army enters the strategic town of Khan Shaykhun in the Idlib Governorate for the first time since losing control of the town to rebels in 2014, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.