The Syrian Army has given an order to fully liberate the country from terrorists, Sputnik learned from a high-ranking Syrian Army officer.
"The army now has the power to liberate the province of Idlib. This will become a key to the end of the ongoing war that has entered its eighth year," the officer said. He promised that the coming days would see events that would "surprise everyone."
"The terrorists have signed their own death warrant."
The source added that Syrian troops have been successfully repelling militant attacks along the border with Idlib. According to the officer, Syrian Army checkpoints are ready for both defensive and offensive scenarios.
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Idlib-based terrorist forces have been weakened by infightings, the local media reports. In the past eight months, clashes between different militant groups killed some 8,000 terrorists, mostly members of Tahrir al-Sham and Jabhat al-Nusra.
As the pro-government forces have been stepping up gains in the south, Idlib, a province in northwestern Syria, remains the last rebel stronghold.
Idlib is a strategically important city, as it shares a border with Turkey and neighbors the province of Latakia, a key stronghold of President Assad. Moreover, Idlib, the provincial capital, is located near a highway linking Syria's second-largest city, Aleppo, to Damascus.