Syrian forces press offensive in last terrorist stronghold of Idlib
Syria’s Army and its allies pressed further into the country’s largest remaining terrorist stronghold on Sunday, capturing a town and several villages as they approached a military airport, a local media unit and a war monitor reported.
The forces have stepped up the offensive in the southern province of Idlib in recent days, advancing toward the Abu al-duhur airport, which terrorists captured in September 2015.
The Syrian Army and its allies “have gained control over the town of Sinjar,” 14 kms (nine miles) from Abu al-duhur, and three villages to the west, the media unit said, Reuters reported.
Syrian forces have since late October taken back terrorist-held territory in Idlib and the northeastern province of Hama.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Sunday the army had taken more than 95 villages in Hama and Idlib since Oct. 22, including around 60 in Idlib alone during the past 14 days.
“Battles have shifted now to the northwest of Sinjar after the Syrian Army and its allies have controlled the town,” the Britain-based monitor reported.
The main terrorist force in Idlib is Tahrir alsham, spearheaded by the former Al-qaeda’s affiliate in Syria previously called Nusra Front.
The Syrian Army lost Idlib, which borders Turkey, to terrorists when the provincial capital fell in 2015. It became the only province fully under terrorist control.
The largest population gathering is in Eastern Idlib, the monitor said, expressing fears from further intensive civilian displacement in the coming few days due to the ongoing fighting.
Tens of thousands of terrorists and civilians moved to Idlib after abandoning their homes in other parts of western Syria that the government have retaken. “Right now they’re talking Olympics. It’s a start, it’s a big start,” Trump said. Kim “knows I’m not messing around. I’m not messing around, not even a little bit, not even 1 percent. He understands that,” Trump said.
Assessing next week’s discussions, Trump said “if something can happen and something can come out of those talks, that would be a great thing for all of humanity. That would be a great thing for the world.”
The president also said that he had spoken with South Korean leader Moon Jaein, who “thanks me very much for my tough stance.”
“You have to have a certain attitude and you have to be prepared to do certain things and I’m totally prepared to do that,” Trump said, contending his tough words have helped persuade the North to sit down with the South.
Trump had tweeted last week: “Does anybody really believe that talks and dialogue would be going on between North and South Korea right now if I wasn’t firm, strong and willing to commit our total ‘might’ against the North.”
His administration on Thursday agreed to delay joint military exercises with South Korea until after the Olympics. US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis insisted the move was a practical necessity to accommodate the Olympics and was not a political gesture. Trump and Kim have traded barbs recently about their nuclear arsenals. In a New Year’s address, Kim said he has a “nuclear button” on his office desk and warned that “the whole territory of the US is within the range of our nuclear strike.”
Trump soon responded: “I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!”