Syria in Last 24 Hours:

Terrorists Fail to Prevail over Pro-Damascus Forces' Positions in Idlib Province

Rasa - A heavy offensive of the Al-Nusra Front (Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at or the Levant Liberation Board) was warded off by the pro-government popular forces in the Shiite towns of Fua'a and Kafraya in the Northeastern countryside of Idlib city.

News ID: 436907

Date: 18 March 2018 - 22:51

RNA - The pro-Damascus National Defense Forces clashed with a 15-member group of Al-Nusra terrorists near Brouma Farms in Kafraya region and repelled their attack.

The popular forces killed and wounded several Al-Nusra terrorists and seized their arms and ammunition.

Meantime, the Syrian army continued its military advances in other parts of Syria over past 24 hours.

Tens of terrorists were killed and dozens more were injured during the Syrian army's operations in provinces across Syria.

Idlib

The pro-government popular forces fended off a heavy offensive of the Al-Nusra Front in the Shiite towns of Fua'a and Kafraya in the Northeastern countryside of Idlib city.

The pro-Damascus National Defense Forces clashed with a 15-member group of Al-Nusra terrorists near Brouma Farms in Kafraya region and repelled their attack.

Commanders of the terrorist groups, especially Abdullah Muhammad al-Muhaysini, the former commander and Mufti (religious leader) of Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at (the Levant Liberation

Board or the Al-Nusra Front), have called on their gunmen to attack Fua'a and Kafraya to compensate for their comrades' defeats in Eastern Ghouta.

The Arabic-language al-Watan daily reported earlier this month that a safe corridor was set up by the government forces under the supervision of the Russian and Turkish sides in Tal al-Sultan region in Eastern Idlib to pave the ground for the civilians to exit terrorist-held regions in Northwestern Syria.

Al-Watan went on to say that the newly-set up safe corridor was supposed to be used by those displaced civilians that had left their villages and settlements in Southern Aleppo for the regions that are under the control of the Al-Nusra Front in Idlib province.

It added that tens of civilians used the newly-established corridor to reach army-controlled regions within the framework of the de-escalation zone agreement concluded in Astana.

Heavy infighting among terrorist groups in Aleppo and Idlib provinces has displaces a large number of civilians in Northwestern Syria.

Damascus

The Syrian Army troops started fresh attacks on terrorists after hours of a daily ceasefire ended in Eastern Ghouta on Saturday afternoon, advancing rapidly towards anther key settlement in the Central part of Eastern Ghouta.

The army men, deployed in the newly-freed town of Jesrin, stormed terrorists' strongholds in Kafr Batna settlement and managed to capture several points in the settlement after hours of a daily truce in the region ended.

Also, the army's artillery and missile units pounded terrorists' positions inside Kafr Batna, killing or wounding a number of terrorists.

A field source said that the army men have imposed control over half of Kafr Batna.

Field sources reported earlier on Saturday that the army has established a new humanitarian corridor from the town of Harasta to Water Resources Company Building near the international Highway to Damascus for the evacuation of civilians from the terrorist-held regions in Eastern Ghouta.

The sources said that a large number of people in Harasta are moving towards the new corridor.

In the meantime, the Russian Reconciliation Center for Syria reported that over 11,000 civilians have left Eastern Ghouta via humanitarian corridors for safer regions since 11 a.m. Saturday.

Hasaka

The Turkish Army troops struck the positions of the Kurdish gunmen in Northeastern Hasaka, field sources said on Saturday, adding that Raqqa province is also prone to the same clashes.

Kurdish sources reported that the Turkish troops stormed one of their positions North of the small town of al-Qahtaniyeh in Northeastern Hasaka near the border with Turkey, killing a Kurdish militant.

Local sources in Northern Raqqa said that the Kurdish-led groups have deployed a number of their Arab gunmen to the town of Tal Abyadh at the border with Turkey.

Also, several sources said that clashes between the Kurds and Turkish troops are likely in Hasaka and Raqqa following the rapid advances of Ankara forces against the Kurds in Afrin.

Aleppo

The Turkish Army troops and Ankara-backed militants managed to push the Kurdish fighters back from more positions near the town of Afrin on Saturday, deploying on the outskirts of the town in Northwestern Aleppo.

The Turkish forces and allied militants stormed the Kurdish fighters' positions in Ma'abatli near Afrin and captured the villages of Kokali Tahtani, Kokali Foqani, DarKayr and Ein al-Ajr.

Also, the Ankara-backed militants occupied the village of Joyaq near Afrin, and the villages of Khzyan Foqani, Khazyan Tahtani, Jalqam, Sheikh Balal, Jarkhatli, Qasem, Hill 800 and Hill 1500 in Rajou region.

The militant-affiliated sources said that the forces of Operation Olive Branch have reached Afrin gate after their recent advances.

In the meantime, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed that the Ankara forces have seized control over 75 percent of Afrin region.

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