Ayham.Alkasim / Wikipedia
The City Harim
Ayham.Alkasim / Wikipedia
As a result of Russian air strikes on Syria have killed more than 50 members of Islamist armed groups supported by Turkey and dozens injured, reports the BBC Russian service with reference to human rights defenders. The attack could jeopardize the ceasefire in Idlib, in March, concluded under the mediation of Russia and Turkey, which support different sides in the conflict.
The blow was inflicted on the camp of the Islamist group “Faylaq al-sham”, which is near the Turkish border, near the settlement of Harim. According to UK-based Syrian monitoring Centre for human rights, killed 78 people. The organization noted that many of the wounded are in serious condition and the death toll may rise.
The airstrike was the most deadly since the signing of the agreement on the ceasefire, under which the Syrian army stopped the attack in the region. Idlib province is the last Bastion of the rebels and militants in Syria. The region due to active fighting has left more than 1 million people. Up until now, the ceasefire agreement is almost not violated.
After the agreement, Turkey stated that it reserves the right to respond to any attacks by the forces associated with the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. It supports the Kremlin in the conflict.
Grouping “national liberation Front”, which includes “Faylaq al-sham”, confirmed that on Monday the Russian air force struck at one of the positions. While the number of deaths in the group said.
Some analysts believe that the current airstrike is warning Moscow of the President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the armed forces supported Azerbaijan in the conflict with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh. Syrian Observatory for human rights reported that some militants “Faylaq al-sham” went to fight in Nagorno-Karabakh on Azerbaijan’s side, and also that the group sent people to fight in Libya on the side recognized by the UN national consensus Government. He confronts the army of field Marshal Khalifa Haftorah, which is supported by Moscow. In the fighting on the side of the Haftarot fighters PMC Wagner, who fought earlier in Syria and Eastern Ukraine.
“Putin says he may at any time to strike at Syrian rebels in Syria, if Turkey does not reduce the escalation of its military actions that are contrary to the interests of Russia in the conflicts in Libya, Syria and Nagorno Karabakh,” – says an airstrike Nicholas Geras from the Institute of military Sciences. He believes the shelling in Idlib kind of message to the Russian leader, the Turkish President.
It is noteworthy that several days before the air strikes in Idlib at the Russian military airbase “Hamim” in Syria were spotted suspicious activity. About this 23 Oct wrote a portal Avia.pro.
Satellite images from 22 Oct was able to detect at least eight military transport aircraft, which, in all probability, made the delivery to Syria of a large number of weapons. “It may go on the transfer of modern military equipment for its testing in real combat conditions,” – thought the portal.
Before the war, on six thousand square kilometers in Idlib lived less than 1.5 million people. Now less than half of the territory (the rest with the support of Russia won over Assad’s troops) were about 3 million people, including 1 million children.
In September, 2018 Russia, Turkey and Iran agreed to a cease-fire in Idlib. It was planned that the province will control the moderate Syrian opposition under the auspices of Turkey. Moscow and Damascus argue that the promise was not fulfilled, and Idlib turned into a stronghold of radical Islamists from the group “Hayat Tahrir al-sham” (banned in Russia as a terrorist). In the January UN report on the situation in Syria, its population is estimated at 12-15 thousand fighters.
The offensive launched by Assad’s forces on Idlib in December 2019 – February 2020 with air support from Russia, about a million Syrians have moved to areas close to the Turkish border.
Earlier Human rights organization Human Rights Watch, analyzed 46 strikes in the period from April 2019 to March 2020, said that the shelling of the Syrian province of Idlib the Russian army and the forces of the Assad regime are war crimes because they killed hundreds of civilians.
