Syria:

Thousands of Civilians Leave Terrorist-Held Regions Via Humanitarian Corridor

TEHRAN (defapress)- Over 30,000 civilians have left militant-held regions in Northwestern Syria via Abu al-Dhohour humanitarian corridor in Southeastern Idlib in recent months, the Russian Reconciliation Center for Syria reported on Saturday.

News ID: 74062

Date: 01 December 2018 - 16:13

Sergei Babov, the center's spokesman, said that over 30,000 civilians have left the de-escalation zone in Idlib province that has been under militants' control since March.

He further said that the fleeing civilians have been resettled in regions under army's control.

Babov pointed to the continued relocation of civilians from militant-held region in Idlib to safer regions, and said that 3 passageways have been set up in Abu al-Dhohour region in Southeastern Idlib for civilians' exit.

In the meantime, the Arabic-language website of Sputnik quoted a military source as reporting that a sum of 800 Syrian families, whose total number stands at 3,500, have left terrorist-held regions in Idlib in the last five days.

The terrorists' refusal to implement the Sochi Agreement to establish a demilitarized zone is pushing the army to initiate its long-waited assault on militants in Idlib that had been put on hold due to the Sochi Agreement.

Colonel Mar'ei Hamdan, a Syrian military expert, was quoted by the Arabic-language website of Sputnik news agency as saying last month that Tahrir al-Sham is in control of nearly 70% of towns and villages in Idlib province and makes provocative moves against the Syrian army, adding that the army's commitment to decrease tensions is not lasting forever.

He added that the Syrian army has so far repelled all attacks by terrorists against its positions and inflicted heavy damages on them, noting that the army is now necessitated to come out of the defensive mood to retake control of Idlib.

Hamdan said that Tahrir al-Sham will resort to a full-scale military operation against the Syrian and Russian armies soon, after rejecting the Sochi agreement last October, which leaves no room for ceasefire or disarmament anymore, and underlined that the Syrian army's battle against Tahrir al-Sham is inevitable.

Meantime, the Turkey-backed Ahrar al-Sham and National Liberation Front (NLF) terrorist groups has also dismissed the Russian-Turkish Sochi agreement and is preparing for military operations against the army in Northern Syria, calling for a coalition with Tahrir al-Sham.

Tahrir al-Sham and other allied terrorist groups have not left the demilitarized zone two months after the Sochi agreement and have instead reinvigorated their strongholds and targeted the army positions every day.

Relevant reports said that the Turkey-backed NLF had put its gunmen on alert to launch a heavy offensive against the Syrian army in the demilitarized zone in Idlib province.

The Arabic-language al-Watan reported that the Turkey-backed NLF had kept its fighters in and outside the demilitarized zone, envisioned in the Sochi Agreement, on alert for imminent war against the army.

Message end/