Syrian forces still advancing in Aleppo and Idleb provinces

Text by: RFI Follow

In Syria, developments are accelerating on the ground in the provinces of Aleppo and Idleb, in the northwest of the country. The Syrian army is still on the offensive, with the support of its Russian ally, despite threats of Turkish reprisals.

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With our correspondent in the region, Paul Khalifeh

In Aleppo, the Syrian army is advancing rapidly on three axes, in the northwest, west and southwest of the province and do not seem to meet strong resistance from jihadist groups and pro-Turkish rebels . On Sunday February 16, in just a few hours, Damascus troops occupied fifteen cities and towns. Over the past three days, some 40 localities have been recaptured.

Dazzling advance

This meteoric advance comes despite threats of reprisals from Turkey , which demands a withdrawal of Syrian government troops before the end of February. But, for the moment, Damascus ignores Ankara's ultimatum and its troops still surrounded, on Sunday, a new Turkish military observation post in the city of Andane, in Aleppo. The Syrian army is only three kilometers from Atareb, where Turkish troops have deployed dozens of armored vehicles.

Sunday, the Russian planes carried out a hundred raids and those of Damascus nearly eighty. The progression of the last hours has made it possible to put the city of Aleppo out of range of the artillery fire of the jihadists. Fighting also continues also in Idleb , further south but less intensely than the previous days. There, the Syrian troops are only nine kilometers from the provincial capital.

Secure corridors

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH), 620,000 civilians have been displaced in Aleppo and Idleb since mid-January. A million and a half since December. The OSDH claims that tens of thousands of people are sleeping under the stars in regions close to the Turkish border. Russian military authorities in Syria have announced the opening on Monday, February 17, of several secure corridors to allow civilians who wish to leave the areas still under jihadist and rebel control in the province of Idleb.

► Syria: fierce fighting and progression of the regime's forces in Idleb

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