Idlib fate hangs in balance as ‘no extremists seen exiting safe zone’

Rebels fire mortar shells at regime troops as buffer zone withdrawal deadline ends today

Hardline fighters have yet to begin withdrawing from a planned buffer zone in northwestern Syria, a monitor and an AFP correspondent said yesterday on the eve of the pullout’s deadline.

Regime ally Russia and rebel backer Turkey agreed last month to set up a demilitarised zone to prevent a bloody regime assault on the region.

Rebels also fired mortar shells from the planned buffer zone, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said yesterday.

The war monitor said rebels in the planned zone fired several “mortar shells at an army position in nearby Hama province killing two soldiers”.

Under the deal the horseshoeshaped area was to be free of heavy arms by October 10 with “radical fighters” pulling out by today. While the deadline for withdrawing heavy weapons was met on time, there has been no indication the second condition is being implemented. “We have not monitored any withdrawals,” said the Observatory.

Idlib and surrounding rebel zones are held by a complex array of factions. Less than half is controlled by the Ankarabacked National Liberation Front (NLF). But the lion’s share is held by Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS), an alliance led by former Al Qaida members, as well as more hardline extremists like Hurras Al Deen and Ansar Al Islam. Those fighters also control more than two-thirds of the planned zone and were supposed to leave it by yesterday.