Syrian in Past 24 Hours:

More Kurdish Fighters Killed in Turkish Military Operation

Rasa - A sum of 1,485 Kurdish militants have been killed in military operation by the Turkish army and Ankara-backed militants in Afrin region, the Turkish Army General Staff announced in a statement on Wednesday.

News ID: 436430

Date: 16 February 2018 - 00:25

RNA - A sum of 1,485 Kurdish militants have been killed in military operation by the Turkish army and Ankara-backed militants in Afrin region, the Turkish Army General Staff announced in a statement on Wednesday.

Aleppo

The army's statement said that 46 Kurdish fighters have been killed in the air and ground attacks of the Turkish army and allied militants in Afrin region in Northwestern Aleppo in last 24 hours.

It added that the total casualties of the Kurds in Operation Olive Branch in Northern Syrian stand at 1,485.

Also on Wednesday, Local sources reported that the Al-Nusra Front (Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at or the Levant Liberation Board) has accelerated looting infrastructures in Aleppo province and selling them to costumers in Turkey as the Syrian Army troops are rapidly advancing against terrorists in Northwestern Syria.

The sources said that Al-Nusra has embarked on separating components of al-Zarbeh railway to sell them as raw material in the Turkish market.

Also in the past 24 hours, the Turkish Army troops and Ankara-backed militants continued Operation Olive Branch in Afrin region in Northwestern Aleppo and pushed the Kurds back from one more village and several key hills, militant-affiliated websites reported.

The sources said that the forces of Operation Olive Branch advanced against the Kurdish fighters again and captured the village of Arshli and its surrounding hills, deploying near the town of Jandaris.

In the meantime, the sources said that the Turkish soldiers and allied militants further captured the village of Omar Simo Northeast of Afrin.

Hama

The Syrian and Russian fighter jets pounded terrorists' movements and positions in Northern Hama, inflicting major losses on the militants, field sources said on Wednesday.

The sources said that the warplanes carried out heavy bombardments against terrorists' strongholds in the small towns of Kafr Zita, al-Latamina and Morek in Northern Hama, inflicting major damage on their military hardware.

The sources further said that the terrorists, meantime, stormed the army's positions in the town of Mahrada in Northern Hama, but failed to prevail over the army's strongholds.

Also on Wednesday, militants in two villages in Hama and Homs provinces handed over their weapons to the relevant officials and ended battle against the Syrian Army, the Russian Defense Ministry announced.

The ministry said in a statement on Tuesday that representative of militants in the village of Sharshi in Hama and the village of Zita al-Bahr in Homs province endorsed peace agreement with the army, adding that the total number of towns, regions and villages that have thus far joined the nationwide peace plan stands at 2,357 now.

Also in the past 24 hours, the Syrian Army troops are preparing to launch an imminent operation to purge Southeastern Hama of terrorists, field sources reported.

The sources said that the army units are about to kick off an imminent operation to purge a large region between Southeastern Hama and Northern Homs of terrorists of al-Islamiyah Front.

The sources said that the terrorists have been carrying out a number of heavy attacks on the army in Tal Dareh, al-Ramiyeh, Qaba al-Kurdi and al-Kafat West of the town of al-Salamiyah, adding that the army's operation is aimed at restoring more security to Southern Hama.

Idlib

A number of gunmen have been killed or wounded in clashes between two groups of Al-Nusra Front in Southern Idlib, field sources reported on Wednesday.

The sources said that two Al-Nusra-affiliated groups engaged in heavy fighting in the town of Ma'arat al-Nu'aman in Southern Idlib, inflicting a number of casualties on both warring sides.

Also in the past 24 hours, widening disunity, assassination of senior militant commanders and rapid advances of the Syrian Army in Idlib province have caused Abdullah Muhammad al-Muhaysini, the former Saudi commander and Mufti (religious leader) of Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at to try hard to set up a Security Operation Room, militant-affiliated websites reported.

The websites said that al-Muhaysini has urged all security commanders of the terrorist groups in Northwestern Syria to establish a Security Operation Room as soon as possible.

The sources said that al-Muhaysini's move was a reaction to growing insecurity in Idlib province and assassination of militant commanders.

The websites said that at least 44 terrorists, including several senior commanders, have been killed and 40 more wounded in Idlib province in the last four days.

Also on Wednesday, a long convoy of the Turkish Army vehicles has been dispatched to a border region with Syria's Idlib to later join Operation Olive Branch against the Kurdish militias in Afrin region in Northwestern Aleppo, local sources confirmed.

The sources said that tens of armored vehicles and personnel carrier vehicles were sent to Hatay region at the border with Syria's Idlib to further cross the border and join Operation Olive Brach against the Kurdish militants in Northern Syria.

Also in the past 24 hours, local sources reported that a new Turkish military delegation, accompanied by Al-Nusra Front visited a key region in Southern Idlib to pave the ground for setting up a new ceasefire monitoring point.

The sources said that five vehicles carrying a Turkish army delegation together with Al-Nusra gunmen arrived in the town of Ma'arat al-Nu'aman in Southern Idlib, visiting the town and its nearby regions.

According to Fars News Agancy, the sources added that the Turkish delegation visited a region from the small town of al-Qadafa up to al-Sarman silos near Ma'arat al-Nu'aman.

The militant-affiliated websites said that the Turkish forces are to set up the sixth ceasefire monitoring point in Southern Idlib in line with the de-escalation zone agreement in Northwestern Syria.

Deir Ezzur

A US Army attack drone destroyed a Syrian Army tank in Eastern Deir Ezzur to become the second raid in the current week by the US air force on the Syrian army, a media outlet reported on Wednesday.

The Arabic-language website of Reuters quoted a US official as reporting that an MQ-9 drone of the US forces destroyed a Russia-made T-72 tank of the Syrian Army in Deir Ezzur on Sunday.

Also, the US army announced that it destroyed a tank that had entered the fire range of the US-backed militants.

In the meantime, a US official, who requested anonymity, disclosed that at least two pro-Syrian government forces were killed in that attack.

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