MOSCOW, January 16. /TASS/: After intense fighting with militants from the Jabhat al-Nusrah terrorist group (outlawed in Russia), the Syrian armed forces liberated two villages in the east of the Idlib governorate, the Sham FM radio station reported on Thursday.
Pro-government troops resumed their offensive in the region after militants disrupted the ceasefire declared five days ago.
The Syrian state army launched an offensive on December 19, 2020, and by now it has liberated 46 settlements in the southern and eastern parts of Idlib. The troops regained control over the territory of 320 square kilometers.
Idlib is the only large Syrian region that is still controlled by well-armed outlawed clans. In 2017, a de-escalation zone in the north was set up in Idlib to give shelter to militants and their families who were reluctant to voluntarily surrender arms in Eastern Ghouta and in Syria’s southern regions. Twelve Turkish observation stations are operating in the Idlib governorate.
