Syrian Army to Deploy in Afrin

Rasa - Syrian government troops will deploy in Afrin region after Damascus and the Kurdish militia in Northwestern Aleppo eventually reached an agreement on the presence of the army and popular forces in the region, Arab media outlets reported on Monday.

News ID: 436510

Date: 20 February 2018 - 20:34

RNA - Syrian government troops will deploy in Afrin region after Damascus and the Kurdish militia in Northwestern Aleppo eventually reached an agreement on the presence of the army and popular forces in the region, Arab media outlets reported on Monday.

Aleppo

The state-run SANA news agency reported that the Syrian popular forces will enter Afrin to face the Turkish military aggression.

Also, the Arabic-language Al-Mayadeen TV reported that agreement on deployment of the army forces in Afrin is nearing implementation and might go into force in coming hours.

Al-Mayadeen further quoted Spokesman for Democratic Society Movement Abdulrahman Salman as saying that the army's arrival in Afrin will give a crushing response to the Turkey.

Salman hoped for further agreements between the Kurds and Damascus to foil threats against Syria.

Al-Mayadeen pointed out that the Syrian Army has been in control of military points in Qastal, Jandou and Ein Daqna since the start of the Turkish army operation in Afrin.

It added that a non-military delegation from Sheikh Maqsoud region in the Northern part of Aleppo city and the town of Manbij have entered Afrin for supporting the agreement.

Also on Monday, the Turkish Army General Staff announced in a statement that a sum of 1,641 Kurdish gunmen have been killed or captured in the Turkish Army Operation Olive Branch in Afrin region in Northwestern Aleppo.

The statement said that a sum of 1,641 Kurdish fighters have thus far been killed or captured by the Turkish army men and Ankara-backed militants in Afrin operation.

In the meantime, militant-affiliated sources reported that the Ankara-backed militants captured the villages of Shaltah, Ikidam and Mersawa after fierce clashes with the Kurds in Northern Afrin.

Also in the past 24 hours, a number of Turkish Army men and Ankara-backed militants have been killed and wounded in clashes with the Kurdish fighters in Afrin region in Northwestern Aleppo, a media outlet reported.

The Kurdish-language Hawar news reported that the Kurdish gunmen engaged in heavy fighting with the Ankara-backed militants in the village of Balilka in Rajou region, killing seven militants.

It added that the Turkish Air Force pounded Kurdish fighters' positions in Rajou after the Kurds' offensive.

Also on Monday, the Turkish Army and Ankara-backed militants managed to beat the Kurdish fighters back from more villages in Afrin region amid reports on an agreement between the Kurds and the Syrian Army for government forces' deployment to Northwestern Aleppo on Monday, militant-affiliated sources said today.

The sources said that the Turkish army men captured the villages of al-Darwisheh, Hajikanli Foqani and Hajikanli Tahtani in Rajou region after heavy fighting with terrorists.

In the meantime, some Kurdish sources reported that based on an agreement between the Kurds and Damascus the Syrian Army will enter Afrin region in the next two days.

Damascus

The Syrian Army sends fresh forces and more military equipment to the Yarmouk Palestinian Refugee Camp in the Southern countryside of Damascus province amid intensified infighting between terrorist groups in the camp, local sources reported on Monday.

The sources said that hundreds of fresh forces and a large volume of equipment and several military vehicles have been forwarded by the army to the Yarmouk camp.

They further said that the army's fresh forces will possibly take part in an imminent anti-terrorism operation in Yarmouk camp after fierce clashes erupted again between ISIL and the Al-Nusra Front (Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at or the Levant Liberation Board) terrorists in recent days.

Also on Monday, the Syrian Armed forces pounded the positions and movements of the terrorist groups in Eastern Ghouta to pave the ground for an imminent operation to end militants' presence in the region.

The army's artillery and missile units opened heavy fire at the positions and movements of terrorists in the towns of al-Nashabiyeh, Jesrin, Arbin, Mesraba, Beir Sawa, Douma, Saqba and Kafr Batna, paving the way for the ground forces' imminent operation in Eastern Ghouta.

Also, the Syrian Air Force bombed heavily terrorists' tunnels and trenches in a region between the towns of Harasta and Arbin, destroying several command centers and positions and killing or wounding a number of terrorists.

Homs

The Syrian Army's artillery and missile units shelled heavily the positions and movements of the Al-Nusra Front in Northeastern Homs on Monday, inflicting major losses on the terrorists.

The artillery and missile units, tipped off by intelligence agents, pounded Al-Nusra positions and movements near Quneitrat and al-Hamrat regions in Northeastern Homs, preempting the terrorist group's plan to launch a heavy attack in the region.

Also, a field source said that a number of Al-Nusra members were killed and their military equipment and weapons were damaged in the army fire.

Deir Ezzur

The Syrian Army continued combing through Deir Ezzur province and uncovered a large network of ISIL-dug tunnels that once were used by commanders of the terrorist group.

The army men carried out mop-up operations in Sabikhan region in Southeastern Deir Ezzur, discovering a long network of tunnels that ISIL dug under residential neighborhoods.

One of the tunnels that is located under Mount al-Shareh in Tishrin region is as large as 200 sq/m and 100 meters in depth.

The tunnel in Tishrin has 16 rooms that were once the ISIL commanders' hideout.

The army men also found a large volume of arms and ammunition in the tunnels.

Raqqa

The Kurdish militia recruited more civilians in different regions in Raqqa province and forced them to join the group, local sources said on Monday.

The sources said that the Kurdish militants have arrested a number of young people in the town of al-Mansoureh in Western Raqqa to force them to join the militia.

Field sources in Northeastern Syria reported on Sunday that Ibrahim Ahmad al-Salama, a mediator in the talks between the US and ISIL terrorist group in Raqqa province, was killed by unknown gunmen.

The sources said that al-Salama was the mediator in the talks between the US forces and its allied SDF and the ISIL for the exit of the latter from the town of al-Tabaqa and Raqqa city.

Idlib

Militant-held regions in Aleppo and Idlib provinces have been covered with a fresh wave of insecurity again as heavy infighting among the terrorists has been on the rise in Northwestern Syria in the last three months, local sources said.

The sources reported that aggravating insecurity has continued in terrorist-held regions in Western Aleppo and Northern Idlib, specially along the Aleppo-Bab al-Hawa road at the border with Turkey in the last three months.

According to Fars News Agancy, the sources went on to say that assassination and plundering have both increased unprecedentedly in terrorist-held regions of the two provinces, adding that civilians are afraid of movements in Western Aleppo and Northern Idlib.

Also on Monday, field source reported that Ahrar al-Sham and Nouralddeen al-Zinki are set to merge into a new militant group in Northern Syria with Ankara's green light.

The sources said that Ahrar al-Sham and Nouralddeen al-Zinki have agreed on merging their members and establishing a new group to be called Syria's Tahrir Front.

The sources added that Former Commander of Ahrar al-Sham Jaber Ali Pasha is to command Syria's Tahrir Front.

Also, the Arabic-language al-Watan daily quoted well-informed sources as saying that Ankara organized a meeting between the commanders of Ahrar al-Sham and Nouralddeen al-Zinki last month to persuade the two groups to merge their gunmen and form a Joint Operation Room and boost unity between the terrorists.

Al-Watan further added that Ankara's intention to create friendly relations among terrorists in Idlib is aimed at occupying the province.

Hama

The Syrian Army's artillery units and Aircraft pounded the positions and movements of the Al-Nusra Front in Northern and Southwestern Hama, inflicting major losses on the militants, field sources reported on Monday.

The Syrian Air Force carried out a number of heavy bombardments against the Al-Nusra positions and movements in the villages and towns of Kafr Zita, al-Zaka and al-Khowein in Northern Hama, killing a number of terrorists and destroying their vehicles.

Also, the artillery units shelled terrorists' positions in the village of Salim in Southeastern Hama and the village of Kafr Laha Southwest of Masyaf region, killing or wounding a number of militants and destroying their equipment.

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