Idlib Governorate clashes ( September 2011 – March 2012 ) The September 2011 – March 2012 Idlib Governorate clashes are the violent incidents that have taken place in Idlib Governorate , a province of Syria , since September 2011 and prior to the April 2012 Idlib Governorate Operation . The Free Syrian Army has been targeting Syrian Army military patrols in the governorate since October 2011 . Protests had still continued in this governorate , but they were often dispersed with gunfire by security forces . On 19 December , it became clear that " Army defectors have taken control over some towns and villages , almost as though they have created some sort of safe area , where protesters from other regions were seeking a safe haven and where defectors were able to operate from " , and Syrian Army forces launched an offensive on one area , massacring a large number of civilians in one village . Hundreds of troops have been filmed after switching sides in one village in the province ' s countryside , prompting residents to hoist a flag of independence . Background . On 29 June , Syrian troops killed at least four civilians as army tanks and helicopters attacked a village in the northwestern province of Idlib , activists said , " The four died in random firing on the village of Rameh from tank machine guns , which has become customary in these unjustified assaults . The tanks started firing on surrounding woods then directed their fire on the village , " Ammar Qarabi , president of the Syrian National Human Rights Organisation , told Reuters news agency from exile in Cairo . On July 2 , Alarabiya reported of larger deployment of Syrian troops in the Idlib province , where some 16 civilians were killed on July 1 . Tanks were first reported to be moving toward Idlib city on the 4 July , after massive anti - Government protests took place at the province . Yet , nightly protests still continued despite the siege . Armed clashes . September 2011 . On 8 September , Security forces abducted the 74 - year - old brother of army defector Colonel Hussein Harmouche , one of the first defecting officers . Mohammed Harmouche was abducted and his body was later returned to his family when the soldiers raided his home in the village of Ibleen . It was also reported that three military defectors were killed in the raid and SANA , Syrian state television , reported that six of their soldiers were killed in the operation . October 2011 . Around 5 October , security forces raided villages close to the Turkish border , five villagers and seven soldiers were said to have died in clashes there . Suspected deserters killed eight soldiers in simultaneous attacks on three army posts in the northern province of Idlib on 10 October . One of the first reported engagements in the Province was on 18 October , when " Gunmen suspected of being army defectors blew up a bomb by remote control as an army vehicle passed by Ehssem in the countryside of the ( northwestern province of Idlib ) , killing an officer and three soldiers , and wounding others , " said the Syrian Observatory for human rights ( S . O . H . R . ) On 25 October , army defectors who defected during a military assault in the central province of Homs gathered and launched an assault on a road block , where many armored vehicles were said to have parked . The battle took place on the edge of Maarat al - Numaan , up to ten security agents were killed with an unknown number of defector casualties . One of the earliest engagements in the province was on 30 October 2011 , when a transporting security agents between the villages of al - Habit and Kafr Nabudah in Idlib province , close to the Turkish border was attacked " by armed men , probably deserters " , the resulting battle leaving 10 security agents and one deserter dead . November 2011 . Five soldiers were killed in ambushes near Maarat al - Numaan on 10 November . The Free Syrian Army ( FSA ) , operated on 26 November 2011 , when they killed eight regular Syrian Army soldiers and members of the security forces and wounded 40 more in an attack in Idlib in northwest Syria . The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said : The Britain - based watchdog said : The Free Syrian Army said in a statement it was behind the attack . On 27 November , a person was killed in the Kafr Nabl area of Idlib province in the northwest after being arrested by security forces " for selling fuel to militants , " the Syrian observatory for human rights claimed . On 29 November , the FSA launched an attack that killed three government soldiers and captured two others , and then government forces later shot dead a civilian . At least six anti - government demonstrators were shot dead when security forces broke up an anti - government demonstration in the city of Idlib on 30 November . " They have not blocked protests in Idlib for weeks . Today they fired at a crowd thousands who were marching from a roundabout to the main Mohafaza Square , " said Fares , an activist . December 2011 . On 1 December , FSA troops launched a raid on an intelligence building in Idlib , leading to a three - hour fire fight in which eight loyalists were killed . On 3 December , seven members of the security forces , five army rebels and three civilians were killed in a three - hour night - time battle in Idlib , according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights . On 5 December , at least a dozen Syrian secret police defected from an intelligence compound , in what appeared to be the first major desertion from a service that acted as a pillar of President Assad ’ s rule . A gunfight then broke out overnight after the defectors fled the Airforce Intelligence complex in the center of Idlib city , northwest of Damascus . Ten people were killed or wounded on both sides , the activists said , according to Reuters . On 8 December , in Idlib , military forces raided houses and arrested three militants , in the vicinity of Saraqib , while some 50 armoured vehicles , including tanks and troop carriers , came under attack in the village of al - Rami . On the same day , three more protesters were killed in Idlib by security forces , as well as Mohammad Amin Subhi al - Najjar , an army defector from Aleppo , was also killed . On 10 December , Syrian security forces shot and killed four civilians , when they opened fire with live ammunition and tear gas on mourners in the northwest , a human rights group reported . “ Four civilians were killed on Saturday after shots and tear gas were fired during the funeral of a child who was killed last night ( Friday ) in the city of Maaret Numan ” in the northwestern province of Idlib , said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights . According to Syrian state media , three rebels died planting a bomb and were buried in a park . This could not be verified . On 12 December two protesters and five soldiers were reported killed . On 13 December , violence flared in the province . Firstly , the UK - based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that army defectors in Idlib ' s Bab al - Hawa road killed seven members of Syria ' s security forces in retaliation for an attack that cost the lives of 11 civilians . On the same day , five more civilians were shot dead by security forces while official Syrian state media SANA stated that " armed terrorists " – its usual tn . On 19 December , the FSA suffered its largest loss of life when new defectors tried to abandon their positions and bases between the villages of Kansafra and Kafr Oweid in Idlib province . Activist groups , specifically the Syrian Observatory for Human rights , reported that 72 defectors were killed as they were gunned down during their attempted escape . The Syrian Army lost three soldiers during the clashes . The next day , S . O . H . R . stated that in all 100 defectors were killed or wounded . Also , the same day , the Syrian Observatory for human rights reported the killing by government security forces of at least 111 civilians in the province . It had been called a " massacre " , 37 civilians had also been killed the previous day . Alaa El Din Al Youssef , a Syrian opposition member in Idlib , described the government ' s attack on the area of Idlib and Jabal al - Zawiya as a massacre . " Civilians were surrounded by security forces who killed 100 of us . The corpses of those killed were left in the streets and the mosques and we are not allowed to bury any of them . " < br > " Some of those killed cannot be recognised . Some were burnt and some beheaded with their hands tied . We are really scared because the area might be stormed once again . " The clashes continued into the next day , and another report , by Lebanese human rights activist Wissam Tarif , put the death toll even higher with 163 defectors , 97 government troops and nine civilians killed on the second day alone as the military tracked down the soldiers and civilian that managed to initially escape . On 21 December , it was reported that the FSA had taken control over large swathes of Idlib province including some towns and villages . On 30 December , more than 250 , 000 anti - government protesters took to the streets in the province of Idlib . January 2012 . Army defectors captured dozens of members of the security forces by seizing two checkpoints in the new year on 2 January , the opposition said . Army defectors also clashed with security forces at a third checkpoint , killing and wounding an unspecified number of troops loyal to Assad , opposition activists said . On 3 January the SANA ( Syrian state news ) claimed gunmen had shot dead a police officer at al - Khudra market , Idlib . On 6 January , SANA claimed that a policeman was killed while on patrol in the Idlib area . On 12 January SANA claimed that eight security forces were killed in an attack on their bus near Jbala crossroads , 5 km north of Khan Shaykhun . On 15 January , the commanding officer of Syrian army ' s 11th Armoured Division decapitated a seven - month - old boy in front of his mother during an operation in Jisr al - Shughur , causing at least one defection . The killing was allegedly because the rebel that they were supposed to find at the house was out at the time . On 17 January accord to claims made by SANA , two policemen were shot dead outside Idlib central prison and the bodies of three soldiers and a contractor were found with bullet wounds in a graveyard . On 19 January , Syrian security forces killed four leading pro - democracy activists in an ambush in northwestern Idlib province . The activists had gone into hiding with armed opponents of the Damascus government and were shot dead in the Zawiya hills close to the border with Turkey . On 21 January , 14 people were killed when a bus carrying prisoners was targeted by unknown gunmen . The vehicle was apparently targeted in Jisr al - Shughour area . The incident followed reports of heavy clashes between the army and defectors in Idlib . Opposition activists said nine regular troops were killed by defectors . Mohammad Fizzo , an activist on the Turkish side of the border , told Al Jazeera there were many injured on both sides . " A group of soldiers who defected were trying to escape to Turkey when the government forces raided the bordering villages of Ain al - Beida and Khirbet al - Joz using heavy weapons and mortars , " he said . According to Al Jazeera , Idlib , the base of many defected soldiers , has become a stronghold of the armed opposition , which has been targeting army convoys to prevent them from regaining territory under the opposition ’ s control . According to state media , two security forces were among the dead in the explosion on the prisoner bus . Separately , the Syrian Observatory For Human Rights reported that a member of the security forces was killed in fighting between dissidents and soldiers at Kafr Nabl , in the Zawiya mountains of Idlib province , with troops using heavy machine guns . 60 People , including civilians were said to have been killed that day . On 23 January , S . O . H . R . reported that FSA and security forces clashed in Idlib on the Damascus - Aleppo highway , near Maarrat al - Nu ' man , where eight soldiers were reported killed , and three armoured cars destroyed . On 24 January , two policemen were killed when rebels opened fire on their car at at Khan Shaykhun . On 25 January , the Syrian Arab Red Crescent , a humanitarian organization that provides medical aid and food to victims of the Syrian government ' s crackdown announced the death of their vice - president , Abdulrazak Jbeiro , saying he had been shot dead by security forces as he drove to Idlib . He was also the head official of Idlib govornate for the organization . On 27 January , S . O . H . R reported that six members of the security forces were killed by a car bomb in the city of Idlib that targeted a security checkpoint , without providing any details on the identity of the assailants . On 29 January it was said that ten members of the military died when their convoy was attacked at Kansafra in the Jabal al - Zawiya area . Eight others were killed in a separate attack in Idlib on the same day . In late January 2012 , a defected colonel told reporters that about 90 % of the city of Idlib was under Free Syrian Army control . February 2012 . By early February 2012 , rebels controlled parts of Idlib city , but was preparing for an attack by the government . Sky news correspondent , Alex Crawford , was inside the city of Idlib posting a video with the opposition flag flying in the city centre . The video showed FSA fighters standing guard and " tens of thousands " of residents protesting against Bashar al - Assad , demanding him to step down from power . Activists and fighters reported that there were tanks moving outside the city . On 4 February , S . O . H . R reported the deaths of at least 14 soldiers when their military convoy was attacked in Idlib province by rebel soldiers or deserters . Also , a police sergeant was killed and another two wounded in another rebel attacked . In the ensuing clashes , the security forces reported they killed several of the attackers . On 5 February , S . O . H . R . reported that nine soldiers were killed and 21 were wounded in clashes with the FSA in three different locations in the Jebel Al - Zawiya area . The following day , on 6 February , army deserters attacked and destroyed a military control post in the village of al - Bara , killing three officers and capturing 19 soldiers . The deserters involved suffered no reported casualties . On the same day in north Syria , a different group of rebels tried to take over a Syrian army checkpoint , but were unsuccessful . Four rebels were killed and the CBS journalist who filmed the assault said that most of these fighters in this assault had no military backgrounds and were farmers , teachers and factory workers not " terrorists " as the Syrian Government claimed . On 10 February , S . O . H . R . reported that army defectors ambushed a patrol of soldiers in between two villages in Idlib province . The defectors hit the patrol with hand grenades and roadside bombs . Ten soldiers reportedly died in the clash . On 14 February , a Sky News reporter showed the funeral of a leading pro - democracy activist , who was a lawyer , after he was shot dead by a pro - government sniper hidden in a building . The correspondent reported that , despite opposition forces controlling the city of Idlib a few hidden snipers were still firing on civilians indiscriminately in the city . The same day , the Syrian Army opened a wide scale offensive on the city of Idlib . The fighting resulted in dozens killed , but the result was inconclusive . On 15 February , it was reported that masses of defecting soldiers were concentrating in the city of Saraqib the previous day , with the city under " de facto " full control of the rebels . On 16 February , CNN correspondent confirmed that for few months villages and towns in northern Idlib province are effectively out of government control , govern by self - rule and protected by hundreds of FSA defectors . The same day , SANA reported that people attacked law enforcement forces personnel near the prison on Idlib killing five of them . Two First Lieutenant ' s were reportedly among the dead . On 17 February , the SANA agency reported that a member of the security forces was killed and said " many others were wounded " in Idlib province . On 22 February , the Syrian Army conducted a series of raids on the villages of Abdita , Iblin and Balshun , in the Jabal al - Zawiya area ( northern Idlib Governorate ) , resulting in 33 civilians killed . On 22 February 2012 , the regular Syrian army was shaken by a large defection . Over 200 soldiers defected in Idlib , and a senior officer with the rank of Brigadier General was reportedly among them . Opposition sources said that a battalion has been established in the city to fight government forces . On 23 February , 500 soldiers defected from the army and instead joined the FSA , forming a brigade in Idlib . On 24 February , SANA reported that three soldiers were killed when an explosive device exploded in the Idlib province . Also , several rebels were reportedly killed when a bomb they were planting exploded prematurely and another four gunmen were killed by the security forces in clashes in the province . On 25 February , SANA reported the deaths of three soldiers in separate incidents , all around Idlib province . The same day Syrian Sham radio reported that 20 gunmen were killed in Saraqeb , and 7 other arrested by the Syrian army which seized their weapons . On 27 February the Syrian army launched an attack on areas held by the rebels in the province , with the towns of Binnish and Sarmin being shelled by artillery while tanks entered the town of Maarrat al - Nu ' man . Saraqib was also reportedly shelled by the government . It was reported that anti - aircraft fire was directed at Binnish , whilst a BBC correspondent said that the bombardment was entirely random , hitting civilians areas rather than targeting specific positions . Tanks entered the town of Sarmin , prompting a fight between the army and the rebels . A soldier was killed by an IED . March 2012 . The Syrian Army overran the village of Ain al - Beida which is a few kilometers from the Turkish border . Witnesses said that 2 , 000 soldiers and 15 tanks were involved in the assault and that injured oppositions fighters were being treated in Turkey . According to Syrian state media , three rebels died planting a bomb and were buried in a park , this couldn ' t be verified . On 3 March , 47 soldiers were executed when allegedly trying to defect . Activists said 50 soldiers from a unit in Abu al - Thuhur Military Airport attempted to defect but a captain loyal to the government informed a general of the plan , and only three of the soldiers managed to escape . The Syrian network for human rights demanded " an immediate international investigation for this massacre . " The network said bodies of the dead were thrown into a lake . The Syrian Network for Human Rights gave a different death toll , saying that 44 soldiers had been killed and 6 had managed to escape the massacre . On 7 March , the village of Kabani was overran by the Army , with a villager talking about 3 helicopters gunships and infantry involved in the attack . On 8 March , a captain was killed in Idlib and 11 police students were abducted , according to Syrian government claims . The Syrian Army stormed a village in Jabal al - Zawiya after surrounding the district . 16 rebels were killed in an ambush when they were heading for the city of Idlib to fight the army , and in another clash , four soldiers were killed and 5 abducted in the same province , the London based activist group reported . The same day , the Battle of Idlib began . It was also reported that 7 soldiers had died in the main battle in Idlib . The rebel death toll was later updated , with AFP stating that 22 rebels were killed in the Idlib Province out of the 39 killed in whole Syria on March 10 . On 11 March , the head of the same activist group told that the army seized the city of Idlib and that eight soldiers were killed in the province . The army was preparing an assault in the rural ares of the province . Although , later reports stated only parts of the city were in control of the army . 12 rebels were also reportedly killed during the day . Around 10 Syrian troops were killed by FSA fighters in an ambush on a checkpoint in the Idlib area around 13 March . Fighters also captured a tank from the army . On the morning of 14 March , opposition activists reported that the Army had captured most of Idlib , with only small pockets of FSA resistance remaining in the city . It was later reported by one source that the last rebels resisting flew Idlib and that the city was under full control of the army , with no more fighting reported . However , Syrian army ’ s tanks and artillery units continued to shell some areas in and around the city , the second day of heavy barrages , to flush out the last remaining hold - outs of anti - government resistance which remained entrenched . On 16 March , three soldiers died in the town of Ma ' arrat an - Nu ' man in fighting with army defectors , the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said . Three rebels were also killed by the authorities . On 23 March , 2 soldiers were killed and 18 captured , including two officers , when the Free Syrian Army attacked the army unit near the border with Turkey . The FSA seized large quantities of ammunition . On 24 March , according to state media , an army engineer was killed when a bridge under him was blown up by remote control . On 28 March , government loyalists attacked Saraqib , reportedly killing 21 local residents . Army defectors attacked two security posts in Idlib Province , killing 13 soldiers . Also on 28 March , it was reported that two British journalists of Algerian descent , Nassim Terreri and Walid Bledi , were killed by the pro - government militia Shabiha . Details emerged on a third journalist being injured in the shoulder and driven to Turkey for treatment . The freelance journalists were on the border with Turkey in Idlib province and were filming a documentary about refugees fleeing the violence . The committee to protect journalists , or CJP , interviewed local witnesses who said that the two journalists initially escaped the targeted shooting in the town of Darkush , but were killed when they went back to retrieve equipment after the shooting had stopped . A witness said that the army later took the journalists ' bodies away . Mohamed Abdel Dayem , CPJ ' s Middle East and north Africa programme coordinator said the deaths were " yet another illustration of the grave dangers that journalists face in reporting a conflict that the Syrian government has sought to hide from the world . " Aftermath . Early April 2012 . At least four soldiers were reported to have been killed in an Ambush near Jisr al - Shughur by army deserters on 1 April . Also , rebels in Sarmin said that home - made bombs to protect the village had killed a dozen soldiers and destroyed 5 tanks when they tried to enter , although this claim was unverified . On 3 April an armed men trying to infiltrate Syria from Turkey was killed , Syrian press agency announced . On 5 April 2012 , heavy fighting took place on the outskirts of the town of Taftanaz , where five civilians , four rebels and seven soldiers were killed amid heavy machine gun fire and shelling according to Syrian Observatory for Human Rights . Meanwhile , six soldiers and eight civilians were reportedly killed elsewhere in Idlib province . Later , it was confirmed that the military captured Taftanaz ' s city center , which was defended by 200 FSA fighters , after a two - hour battle , following which the Army reportedly rounded up and executed 82 people . It was unknown how many were opposition fighters and how many were civilians . On 8 April , the Syrian Army clashed with an armed group , killing at least two of its member and capturing another rebel . On 9 April , after six soldiers were killed when a checkpoint was attacked , the military fired across the border into a refugee camp in Turkey , provoking international condemnation . According to S . O . H . R , the incident began at about before dawn on when rebel fighters attacked Syrian soldiers manning a checkpoint near the Turkish border , killing six soldiers . The soldiers then kept firing as eight wounded rebels escaped to the camp that is just across the border in Turkey , sending bullets whizzing across the frontier into the camp , he said . According to the Observatory , the shooting wounded five people in the camp . The Observatory reported that two people later died of their injuries , but that could not be immediately confirmed . The wounded were three Syrian refugees , one Turkish policeman and a Turkish translator . Turkish military didn ' t fire back but called for an immediate halt to the gunfire . The Syrian authorities reported massive defections and surrenders in the rebels ranks . For the Idlib governorate , they reported that 695 armed men surrendered with their weapons in the last two months , after the beginning of the offensive of the Syrian Army in the governorate . During cease fire . Late April 2012 . A cease fire has been declared across Syria by the government on April 14 , following an implementation of the Kofi Annan peace plan for Syria . Though incidents continued in several locations , most notably in the Idlib governorate . On 15 April , SANA stated that one member of the security forces was killed and 3 wounded when ambushed by the opposition in Idlib province . On 18 April , SANA reported that six members of the security forces were killed in a blast in Idlib province . On 28 April , a firefight in a village in Idlib province killed 2 soldiers and wounded another officer , according to government media . May 2012 . A " Der speigel " journalist , reporting from the Idlib countryside , reported that villages in the governorate were no longer under government control , but at many villages , the army had attacked them and then left . Many defectors from the army had gone back to their native villages in the to protect them , guarding village councils everywhere are hard at work attending to electricity needs , maintaining the water supply and upholding the rule of law . Committees organize supplies of gasoline and food , as well as transporting the injured to nearby Turkey , according to the journalist . He reported that Sarmin and other places had been taken over with tanks and helicopters , but the military usually pull out after a couple of days . On 2 May , according to state media , armed men attacked a patrol of security forces , killing 2 and wounding 6 . On 5 May , two army officers were reported to have been killed . On 9 May , one soldier was killed in a village in Idlib province . On 12 May , 9 soldiers and 1 army deserter were killed , according to the S . O . H . R . network , in a series of battles throughout Idlib Province . On 13 May , violent clashes were raging between Syrian Army forces and armed military defectors in a village near Idlib , according to S . O . H . R , and four soldiers were reported to have been killed . During the day , security forces in Idlib city killed a man and a woman when they raided houses . Also , seven other soldiers , including a first lieutenant were killed when a bomb exploded near their bus , then it was fired upon in the same village . In the Idlib mountains , where they enjoy overwhelming public support , the FSA was reported to have been forming a " fledgling state " , comparing it to Libya ' s Benghazi and planning a future " free zone " . Many FSA checkpoints had been set up around villages and , co - ordinating with radios , searched passing vehicles for weapons and government forces . However , government military tanks were still holding positions at various points such as banks and one man said that he thought the secret police were around but hiding . Casualties . At least 1 , 622 opposition fighters and army defectors and at least 1 , 780 Syrian soldiers have been killed . According to human rights groups , security forces have been directly responsible for the deaths of 2 , 000 + protesters or civilians around the province .