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THE RUSSIAN MILITARY has confirmed air strikes were carried out on Syria’s last major rebel stronghold Idlib with four planes targeting the “terrorist” Al-Nusra Front on Tuesday.
“Four planes of the Russian group at the Khmeimim airbase inflicted strikes by high-precision weapons on objects of Al-Nusra Front terrorist group in the Idlib province,” the Russian military’s spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in a statement.
Dominated by jihadist of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) alliance, this northwestern Syrian province has over the past few years taken in tens of thousands of rebels and civilians evacuated from other areas recaptured by the regime.
In December 2016, UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura warned that Idlib risks becoming ”the next Aleppo”, speaking after second city Aleppo was retaken in a devastating government offensive.
President Bashar al-Assad had declared he would use victory in Aleppo as a springboard to capture other rebel strongholds.
Offensive in southeast Idlib
A year later, in December 2017, government forces backed by Russian airpower launched a push for the southeast of Idlib province.
The objective was to secure a key highway linking Aleppo to the capital Damascus, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
After weeks of intense fighting, they drew closer to the main route and seized control of the Abu Duhur military airport and around 400 villages and towns.
‘Worse’ than Ghouta
In May 2018, de Mistura said a regime assault on Idlib would be “six times” more destructive than the battle to recapture Eastern Ghouta, a rebel stronghold near Damascus.
Ghouta was retaken earlier that year following a devastating offensive which killed more than 1,700 civilians, according to the Britain-based Observatory.
Russia negotiated the mass evacuation of rebel fighters and tens of thousands of civilians from Ghouta to Idlib.
The population of Idlib and adjacent rebel areas swelled to around 3 million, of whom half are displaced from other parts of the country.
‘Now Idlib is our goal’-
After securing Damascus and the strategic southern zone abutting Jordan and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, Assad said in July 2018: “Now Idlib is our goal, but not just Idlib.”
On 9 August, government forces shell rebel areas of Idlib and drop leaflets urging people to surrender.
The Observatory said the bombardments are the prelude to a full assault, but that regime troops are not yet well advanced enough on the ground.
On August 22, HTS leader Abu Mohamed al-Jolaniwarns rival rebel factions in Idlib against taking part in any talks on an agreed surrender, like those concluded in other rebel bastions.
‘Abscess’
On 24 August, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu warned that seeking a military solution in Idlib “will cause catastrophe”.
Cavusoglu said that Turkey nevertheless considers “it is very important that those radical groups, terrorists are rendered ineffective”.
On August 29, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov urged the West not to obstruct an “anti-terror operation” in Idlib.
“This abscess needs to be liquidated,” Lavrov says.
’Bloodbath’
On 30 August this year, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem, in Moscow, reiterated his government’s “determination to liberate the entire Syrian territory”.
A flurry of meetings between top Syrian, Iranian and Russian officials indicated an offensive was drawing close, prompting US Donald Trump to warn the three countries against an attack.
Britain, France and the United States, threatened that any use of chemical weapons by government forces in Idlib will not go unpunished.
Yesterday, de Mistura called on the Russian and Turkish presidents to use diplomacy to avert a “bloodbath” in Idlib.
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Al nusra- are al qaeda affiliates. Just wait for the bleeding hearts to come along now to stick up for them.
@Eddie Binbags: They’re not out of bed yet
@Eddie Binbags: completely missing the point. Do you think the terrorists are just bunched up in a building together waiting to be bombed? No they’re in with the 3 million civilians who people are rightly concerned about.
@The Guru: you fail to accurately estimate the pretentious conclusions of journal comments with their kneejerk reactions taking into account no other factors when it comes to decision making.
@Eddie Binbags: who’s sticking up for those b-stards? I just hope the SAA regain control of the rest of Syria and restore law and order with as little civilian casualties as possible. In reality, the level of civilian deaths is in the hands of the jihadis. People will move out of any area fighting is occurring unless the likes of Nusra and the Turkish army prevent them
@The Guru: Do you agree that these innocent civilians are most likely being held against their will by the terrorists? As mentioned below, people would certainly evacuate potential conflict zones if there was a chance.
@Eddie Binbags: It almost sounds like you would love it if every single man, woman and child was blown apart in these airstrikes. That’s a bit… genocidal of you, is it not?
@Paul Devlin: The SAA sticking up for law and order?
You’re a gas man. Actually, it’s not at all funny to defend an army involved in deliberate, heinous massacres of innocent civilians.
@Eddie Binbags: Yep. The language used in the headlines is a lie. They are Jihadists, not rebels, and most of them are foreign. There are a large number of them too so it will be a bloodbath due to the fact that this time they have nowhere to escape to as they had in Raqqa so will want to die and take as many other people they can with them. The population in Idlib largely got out in the last weeks if they could. Communications are still working though at the moment as I’m still getting IM contact. After the carnage in Mosul and Raqqa the US cannot criticise whatever happens. I suppose we just wait foe the normal rubbish about chemical attacks and the US hitting something in retaliation.
@ihcalaM:
I’m guessing you missed the part where Aleppo was retaken, is currently being rebuilt to its former glory, Syrian refugees and other minorities,Inc Christians are returning, because law and order has been restored.
@ihcalaM: I’m not defending anyone. However, given the choice of the Syrian government and the medieval barbarians of the Saudi inspired opposition, I’d choose the former and, for all your pious prating, if you were there, you would too. Unless you like getting beheaded by bearded maniacs
@Paul Devlin: Yeah yeah, you’re “not defending anyone” but you’d love it if the big cuddly SAA came in to “restore law and order”. Give over.
They’re pretty good at that aye, but then again it’s not hard when you use tanks to murder unarmed civilian protestors.
And you have the gall to pontificate about civilian deaths… that’s the SAA’s speciality, maybe you didn’t follow their actions during the uprising.
It’s not as simple as “The opposition are worse than the SAA therefore let’s hope the military dictatorship wins” or whatever the popular narrative is on Syria these days. I can’t think of anything more myopic.
@Otranto: You’re dead right. We praise thee, Bashar al-Assad. A merciful, tolerant man. Where would Syria be without his humanitarian leadership?
@ihcalaM: it is that simple and if you want to think of something more myopic, think about the jihadists overthrowing the state, committing genocide on the minority communities, a balkanised failed state controlled by rival jihadi groups constantly at war with each other, women in virtual chains. Oh, and quit with the vitriol. Since when does hoping that casualties can be minimised count as pontificating?
@ihcalaM: according to numerous reports, the protesters were armed and they instigated violence by killing police and army officials. A similar play book to what was later used in Ukraine. Most countries would use force to repel violent protesters particularly countries whose regimes are under threat from outside forces.
@Conor Treacy:
Numerous reports from who? Oh yeah, the Assad regime.
The video evidence tells a different story, as did the SAA defectors who were involved and described receiving direct orders to shoot at unarmed civilians.
@Conor Treacy: Ah well, as long as there were “reports” (just like there were “reports” that nobody died at Tiananmen Square in ‘89… lol – what would we do without Syrian state media) then I’m fine with mass murder. Good point.
You’re fooling nobody with that kind of weak fascist apologetics.
In other news, two “russian agents” were “caught” on cctv in salisbury, Meanwhile police are still looking for the guy who pushed a woman into traffic on a london city bridge. London being the most surveilled city in the world and they can’t identify a jogger on one of the most surveilled bridges in the world…..but the get cctv images as clear as day of two “russian agents” in salisbury…….
@sixmile: Putin agent —^^^
@Rear Admiral: CIA agent
@sixmile: Funny if they were Ukraine men working on the side in the UK?
Hmm, They’re rebels when fighting against Syria, Russia or Iran. But terrorists when fighting against the west or its proxies.
@Fintan Stack: don’t forget the word ‘regime’. They’re not fighting against Syria, they’re fighting against the ‘Syrian regime’.
@Cormac Ó Braonáin: are you denying that Al Assad’s government is authoritarian?
The Legacy of John McCain.
@Cormac Ó Braonáin: The West steps in to change foreign political systems and creates dictators, terrorists and monsters that kill millions and no one says a word against them?
Good job the Russians . They know how to deal with the animals .
Why the photo still from JOE 90 though?
Russians Admitting to something!
How Refreshing.
@Joe Kelly: Salisbury poisoning madness reminds me of the Birmingham six, Guildford Four and the Maguire Seven… Same machine…
A lot of people talk slop dont they?
@BarronVonVaderHam: They love to tell people what to think, feel and do, that’s why?
“Rebels” should read as “wahabi death cult filth”. Godspeed to the Syrian army and their Russian allies in this final battle.
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