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Turkish forces, moderate groups launch operation against Syrian Govt forces in southern Idlib

20 February 2020 17:08 (UTC +04:00)

Turkish soldiers and moderate opposition groups in northwestern Syria's Idlib on Thursday launched a military operation against Assad regime's forces, which have been advancing south of the province to capture the last strong opposition bastion, APA reports.

Opposition groups trying to recapture settlements seized by the regime in southern Idlib province and captured the village of Neirab after fierce clashes. The village on the M4 highway is some 10 kilometers southeast of Idlib city center and 6 kilometers west of the strategic town of Saraqib.

Targeting regime forces with artillery, opposition groups destroyed a tank and armored vehicle belonging to the regime. A regime tank has also been seized by opposition groups.

Regime forces seized control of Neirab on Feb. 3.

Saraqib is located on a strategic crossroads connecting the country's two main highways, M4 and M5. The M4 motorway connects the port city of Latakia to the Iraqi border while the M5 forms the backbone of the country's highways, connecting economic hub Aleppo to central cities of Hama and Homs, the capital Damascus and to the Jordanian border further south.