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No Peace for Al-Nusra: Syrian Army Advances on Western Idlib

© AFP 2023 / GEORGES OURFALIANSyrian pro-government troops hold positions in the Syrian town of Ain al-Hanash near l-Bab in Aleppo's eastern countryside.file photo
Syrian pro-government troops hold positions in the Syrian town of Ain al-Hanash near l-Bab in Aleppo's eastern countryside.file photo - Sputnik International
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With a ceasefire currently in place in Syria, the country's army and National Defense Force reportedly managed to take full control of two more villages in the western province of Latakia, in an attack that left dozens of Al-Nusra Front terrorists killed or wounded.

Soldiers of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA). File photo - Sputnik International
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Scores of Al-Nusra Front terrorists were killed and many more injured after the Syrian Army and the country's National Defense Force (NDF) won back two more villages in the western province of Latakia, according to the Iranian news agency FARS.

Sources said that the Syrian troops liberated the villages of Rashou and al-Armeed from the terrorists after advancing north from the strategic town of Kinsibba.

FARS reported that the army and the NDF are currently less than 15 kilometers away from the strategic city of Jisr Al-Shughour in northwestern Syria's Idlib province; this is the closest the Syrian troops have been to this terrorist stronghold in 8 months, according to FARS.

© AP Photo / Pavel GolovkinSyrian troops ride on a pickup truck with a mounted machine gun on a road near Latakia in Syria, March 2, 2016
Syrian troops ride on a pickup truck with a mounted machine gun on a road near Latakia in Syria, March 2, 2016 - Sputnik International
Syrian troops ride on a pickup truck with a mounted machine gun on a road near Latakia in Syria, March 2, 2016

Earlier, government forces managed to retake a number of key sites along the Aleppo-Latakia Highway (M-4 Highway), in an advance that paved the way for the Syrian Army to reach the hilltops overlooking Jisr al-Shughur, located in the western part of Idlib province.

Syria has been mired in a civil war since 2011, with forces loyal to President Bashar Assad fighting against a number of opposition factions and extremist groups, including Daesh (ISIL/ISIS) and the al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front, which are prohibited in many countries, including Russia.

In February 2015, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2268, endorsing the Russia-US agreement on the cessation of hostilities in Syria, shortly before the ceasefire came into force on February 27.

Soldiers of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) (File) - Sputnik International
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The cessation of hostilities does not apply to designated terrorist organizations operating in Syria, including Daesh and the al-Nusra Front.

Adding to the Syrian Army's anti-terror effort is Russia's ongoing air campaign, which was launched on September 30 when more than fifty Russian warplanes, including Su-24M, Su-25 and Su-34 jets, commenced precision airstrikes on Daesh and al-Nusra Front targets in Syria at the behest of President Assad.

The Russian Defense Ministry said in turn that "Russian aircraft are not performing strikes in those regions where a willingness to cease fire and to start negotiations were expressed."

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