BEIRUT: Syrian government shelling on the rebel-controlled enclave of Idlib Monday killed at least nine people, including four civilians, a war monitor reported.
The violence was the latest in a spate of violations of a cease-fire deal that was brokered by Turkey and Russia in March 2020 and had largely held since.
Monday’s artillery fire struck several locations near the cease-fire lines and one Syrian soldier was killed in retaliatory fire, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
In one incident in the village of Al-Bara, two women were killed by regime shelling, the Observatory said.
In the village of Ihsem, shelling struck a police station, killing one policeman and four members of armed groups opposed to the government of President Bashar Assad and its allies.
Another 13 people were wounded, the monitor said.
Both areas are under the control of Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham, a militant organization that includes ex-members of Al Qaeda’s former Syria affiliate.
Smaller factions are also present in those areas, said Rami Abdel Rahman, the head of the UK-based Observatory.
The northwestern Idlib region, which borders Turkey to the north and is home to more than a million people, is the last part of Syria controlled by rebel or militant groups.
Assad’s regime, backed by Russia and Iran, has vowed to retake the region and the enclave shrank under pressure from deadly land and air offensives.
A cease-fire deal brokered by Ankara — the main rebel backer — and Moscow was reached 15 months ago.
Despite sporadic skirmishes along the cease-fire lines, the truce has largely held, averting a major assault that aid groups warned could cause suffering on a scale yet unseen in the decade-old war.
The past few weeks have witnessed an uptick in violations, mostly by regime and allied forces, Abdel Rahman said.
“The escalation is unprecedented since the start of the truce,” he said.
On June 10, 12 people were killed in regime shelling on the Idlib region, in what was one of the deadliest incidents since the cease-fire came into effect.
According to the Observatory, close to half a million people have been killed by conflict since March 2011, when brutal government repression of pro-democracy protests ignited a civil war that also displaced half of Syria’s population.
War monitor: Syria regime shelling on Idlib kills 9
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War monitor: Syria regime shelling on Idlib kills 9
- The violence was the latest in a spate of violations of a cease-fire deal that was brokered by Turkey and Russia in March 2020
Ceasefire with Kurdish-led force extended for another 15 days, Syrian army says
- The defense ministry said the extension was in support of an operation by US forces to transfer accused Daesh militants to Iraq
- The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces confirmed the ceasefire extension
RAQQA, Syria: Hours after the expiration of a four-day truce between the Syrian government and Kurdish-led fighters Saturday, Syria’s defense ministry announced the ceasefire had been extended by another 15 days.
The defense ministry said in a statement that the extension was in support of an operation by US forces to transfer accused Daesh militants who had been held in prisons in northeastern Syria to detention centers in Iraq.
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces confirmed the ceasefire extension.
“Our forces affirm their commitment to the agreement and their dedication to respecting it, which contributes to de-escalation, the protection of civilians, and the creation of the necessary conditions for stability,” the group said in a statement.
Over the past three weeks, there have been intense clashes between government forces and the SDF, in which the SDF lost large parts of the area they once controlled.
Earlier in the day, the Kurdish-led force called on the international community to prevent any escalation.
The end of the truce came as government forces have been sending reinforcements to Syria’s northeast.
Syria’s interim government signed an agreement last March with the SDF for it to hand over territory and to eventually merge its fighters with government forces. In early January, a new round of talks failed to make progress over the merger, leading to renewed fighting between the two sides.
A new version of the accord was signed last weekend, and a four-day ceasefire was declared Tuesday. Part of the new deal is that SDF members will have to merge into the army and police forces as individuals.
The SDF said in a statement Saturday that military buildups and logistical movements by government forces have been observed, “clearly indicating an intent to escalate and push the region toward a new confrontation.” The SDF said it will continue to abide by the truce.
On Saturday, state TV said authorities on Saturday released 126 boys under the age of 18 who were held at the Al-Aqtan prison near the northern city of Raqqa that was taken by government forces Friday. The teenagers were taken to the city of Raqqa where they were handed over to their families, the TV station said.
The prison is also home to some of the 9,000 members of the Daesh group who are held in northeastern Syria. Most of them remain held in jails run by the SDF. Government forces have so far taken control of two prisons while the rest are still run by the SDF.
Earlier this week, the US military said that some 7,000 Daesh detainees will be transferred to detention centers in neighboring Iraq.
On Wednesday, the US military said that 150 prisoners have been taken to Iraq.
