Turkey-Backed Gunmen Block Damascus Militants' Move to Northern Aleppo

TEHRAN (defapress)- Ankara-backed gunmen have blocked the path of the militants who, under an agreement with the Syrian army, had left their positions in the Southern countryside of Damascus city for the town of Jarabulus in Northeastern Aleppo, field sources reported on Saturday.

News ID: 69250

Date: 17 March 2018 - 15:00

Well-informed sources reported that the Turkey-backed militants, deployed in Northern Aleppo, blocked the path of the militants and their family members that had left al-Qadam region in the Southern countryside of Damascus city for Jarabulus under a last week agreement with the Syrian Army.

The sources said that Ankara's move to push allied militants to do so is aimed at disturbing the agreement between militants in al-Qadam and the Syrian army, adding that almost 70 buses, carrying 1,500 militants and their family members, had left al-Sabineh region for Jarabulus in Northeastern Aleppo but were prevented by the gunmen of the Ankara-led the Euphrates Shield from entering Jarabulus.

In the meantime, a sum of 100 militants and their family members that were prevented by the Euphrates Shield forces from entering Jarabulus changed their way towards Idlib via Qalah al-Madhiq in Western Hama.

News websites reported last week that gunmen of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at (the Levant Liberation Board or the Al-Nusra Front) have agreed on withdrawal of their gunmen from al-Qadam to militant-held regions in Idlib province.

They further reported that the army had previously given a 48 hours ultimatum to the militants to leave al-Qadam.

In the meantime, military analysts said that the army's rapid advances in Eastern Ghouta have forced the FSA and Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at to agree withdrawal from their positions in al-Qadam.