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Graphic shows locations of de-escalation monitors and Syrian troop buildup.
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MILITARY

Syrian troops amass around Idlib province

By Duncan Mil

August 14, 2018 - Syrian government troops are gathering on the outskirts of Idlib province ahead of an assault on the final rebel stronghold, controlled by Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) and the rival Syrian Liberation Front.

Syrian government artillery and rocket fire have been reported around Jisr al-Shughur, and HTS positions in the province which President Bashar al-Assad has warned will be his military’s next priority.

Reinforcements have been arriving in neighbouring Latakia province just west of Jisr al-Shughur and to the southeast of the region.

Idlib province is, in theory, one of the four “de-escalation” zones agreed by NATO member Turkey and regime supporters Iran and Russia in a bid to reduce violence. The three nations have established military observation posts for monitors around the province.

In practice, the deal aims at securing Syria’s strategic M5 international highway running from Aleppo to the capital, Damascus, and on through Daraa province to Jordan, and the Aleppo-Gaziantep road into Turkey.

HTS, previously known as Nusra Front, is also fighting the hardline Islamist Syrian Liberation Front, made up from a merging of rebel groups Ahrar Al-Sham and Nour Al Deen Al Zinki in February.

Some 2.5 million people -- including more than one million people displaced from other Syrian war zones -- are sheltering in Idlib province.

Sources
PUBLISHED: 14/08/2018; STORY: Graphic News
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