Source: Mideast Discourse
Steven Sahiounie, political commentator

Turkish backed terrorists, following Radical Islam, which is a political ideology, have shot down a Syrian military helicopter in Idlib on Tuesday. The battlefield of Idlib sits poised for imminent war. President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad would pay a “very heavy price” for attacking Turkish troops, as he threatened war against Syria after five Turkish soldiers were killed on Monday and an additional eight earlier.

The situation rose to a fever pitch on Monday as the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) attacked an observation post manned by the Turkish Army in Taftanaz, northeast of Idlib. The SAA is on a mission to clear the Idlib province of all Al Qaeda linked terrorists, which are backed by Erdogan, and others. In addition to the terrorists who occupy Idlib, Turkey has sent into Idlib large numbers of Turkish soldiers, as well as Syrian armed militias living in Turkey, such as the Syrian National Army (SNA) and the Syrian Liberation Front (SLF). Turkey is an invasion force, while the SAA fights to defend their country.

Witnesses on the border reported large convoys of Turkish military hardware, troops, and armored vehicles crossing into Syria in an almost continuous procession.

The terrorists and their Turkish backers have insisted on using the civilians as a bargaining chip in the battles. Turkey, the UN, and most of the international community warn of a humanitarian disaster if the civilians are driven north from Idlib during battles to regain control of Idlib, the last remaining area in Syria under terrorist control. For weeks, the Syrian Red Crescent ambulances, food trucks, and green buses sat empty and waiting along the humanitarian corridor of exit from Idlib, and an only small number came out and told of being threatened by the terrorists and generally prevented from escaping their occupation to safe areas in Syria.

The Al Qaeda affiliate in Syria was Jibhat al Nusra, and when they entered the cluttered Syrian battlefield in 2013, they were soon recognized as the fiercest and most violent of all the armed fighting groups. The Free Syrian Army (FSA), backed by the USA had failed to garner civilian support of their Jihad for “Regime Change”, and failed to recruit Syrian civilians to take up arms and join their ranks. After Jibhat al Nusra arrived, the FSA either joined their ranks or deserted the cause and migrated to Germany in the summer of 2015 exodus.

The US and others designated Jibhat al Nusra as a terrorist organization, which made supporting them an illegal act and punishable. Jibhat al Nusra then re-branded as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and is supported by Turkey and other countries. HTS has worked with ISIS in certain instances in the past.

Idlib is the last terrorist occupied area in Syria, and the only region to have been under their control since 2012. Designated as a de-escalation zone in 2017, terrorists who refused to lay down their arms in battle zones across Syria were given the option of peacefully leaving on Green Buses to Idlib.

The civilians trapped in Idlib are in many cases, there by choice. The Green Buses offered as an alternative to resuming their past lives across Syria, was offered to armed terrorists and their immediate family, extended family, and others who share the Muslim Brotherhood dogma, which seeks to establish an Islamic ‘utopia’ in Syria. Some of these civilians are Syrian and some are Chinese citizens, who were imported personally by Erdogan, as his secret “Turkic” weapon. They are ethnic Uyghurs from China, who are a member of the Jihadist group Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP).

The original Idlib residents are scattered: some to Europe, some to Turkey, some to Latakia and the safety of the coast. Those homeowners, landowners and business owners of Idlib who are living as refugees, or displaced persons, are following events in Idlib and hoping to return one day and take up their rightful possessions, and begin anew.

Leila has been living in Latakia since 2012, and cleaning houses to support her family. Her husband had been a farmer in Idlib, but when the terrorists arrived they began planting land mines in farmland, and civilians were killed while farming. Leila and her family left Idlib and have never gone back. “Our land and olive trees are waiting for us. Our house was probably used by the terrorists, but we hope we can reclaim it one day,” she said.

In 2018 an agreement was reached between Turkey and Russia, and Turkey promised to remove all Al Qaeda terrorists, and to move all unarmed civilians to safe areas, thus separating the innocent, from the guilty. Russia promised to assist the SAA in fighting terrorists, which is part of the global war on terror.

However, Turkey never fulfilled their promise to the agreement, which made the situation unsustainable. In early 2019 Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov commented on the Turkish-Russian agreement about Idlib, and the disturbing news that some Western countries wanted to preserve Idlib as a safe-haven for terrorists. “There’s been news that some Western countries wish to do precisely that. They want this enclave where Jabhat al-Nusra (terrorist group outlawed in Russia) controls more than 90% of the territory to become a participant in the future political process,” Lavrov stated at a news conference. “It is clear that there can be no talks with terrorists. Our Western counterparts have repeatedly demonstrated double standards, so I cannot rule out that the information I’ve mentioned is well-founded.”

A Russian delegation headed by Sergey Vershinin, deputy minister of foreign affairs in charge of Syrian affairs, and Alexander Lavrentiev, the special envoy of the Russian presidency to Syria, met with Turkish officials in Ankara recently on two occasions but failed to agree.

The Turkish are waiting for a visit from James Jeffrey, the US special representative for Syria, on Wednesday before announcing a plan to reclaim territories the Syrian government has taken over since December last year.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said earlier that the Russian and Turkish militaries had again attempted to declare a ceasefire, but terrorists just stepped up their attacks. In response, the Syrian army launched a counterattack against the terrorists

Turkey set up 12 observation posts in Idlib province after an agreement with Russia in 2018; however, recently three of the observation posts were surrounded by SAA. Turkey invaded Syria and insisted on establishing military outposts, which were supposed to be observation towers, to facilitate their promised plan to separate terrorists from unarmed civilians. This ruse was effectively used by Turkey to dig-in and defend the terrorists, who follow the same Muslim Brotherhood ideology as does President Erdogan, and his AK Party.

Turkey hosts 3.6 million Syrian refugees and insists it cannot take in any more. “Russia and Assad are still pushing ahead with this offensive despite the fact Ankara has reiterated its red lines because they underestimate how vital stability in Idlib is for Turkey. Keeping the border shut is a huge national security concern,” said Dareen Khalifa, a senior analyst at the International Crisis Group.

In late 2019 the Syrian government announced a strategic goal to recapture and secure the M4 highway, linking the international Port of Latakia, with Aleppo, the economic hub of Syria, and to accomplish the same with the M5 highway, linking Aleppo, Damascus, and Jordan. This goal is an economic imperative for Syria which is still manufacturing goods, and growing agricultural products used domestically and for export. The battle to clear Idlib of terrorists is crucial to the economic recovery of Syria. On February 8 the SAA captured the strategic town of Saraqeb, which is located at the junction of M4 and M5.

The terrorists in Idlib are well supplied, trained and have seemingly unlimited weapons and munitions. They have been attacking residential areas in Kessab, Latakia, Mahardeh, Hama, and western Aleppo consistently since 2012. The unarmed civilians who are killed, maimed and live in constant fear of a missile attack emanating from Idlib are the real victims.

Source: Mideast Discourse
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan earlier expressed readiness to retaliate after its servicemen were killed in the province of Idlib in an attack by Syrian government forces.

The General Staff of the Syrian army said it gives one last chance to the militants operating in the province of Idlib to lay down their arms, Ikhbariya news agency reported on Tuesday citing a military source, adding that the Syrian Army was ready to repel any Turkish aggression in the province.

“Our armed forces are trying to give the last chance to the militants and save the lives of the besieged civilians. The army units operating in the region have been ordered to allow those who decide not to rely on the support of the Turkish forces, to surrender their weapons”, the source said.

The source added that the Syrian Army was continuing its military operation against the militants, who have been fighting civilians and using them as “shields” in Saraqib and Tell Touqan in Idlib.

On 3 February, the Turkish Defence Ministry said that six Turkish servicemen had been killed in an attack by the Syrian Army in Idlib.

The Turkish military presence in Syria has never been sanctioned either by Damascus nor the UN Security Council. Turkey says its forces are deployed in the region in order to prevent conflicts in Idlib.

Fighting has escalated in Syria’s Idlib recently, as the Syrian government has been struggling to recapture control over the area, which remains a major terrorist stronghold in the country.

Idlib is home to various militant factions, with a large portion of it controlled by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (formerly known as Al-Nusra Front*), the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda*.

By Arabi Souri
Source: Syria News
Idlib southern countryside villages are getting cleaned in order to implement Sochi’s agreement between Russian President Putin and the Turkish pariah Erdogan.

After very long stalling by NATO member state Turkey and the main regional sponsor of al-Qaeda FSA terrorists, the Syrian Arab Army SAA with assistance from the Russian allies started a military operation in south and southeast of Idlib province to implement the main points of the Sochi Agreement between Russia and Turkey which is to clean the vital artery M4 between Aleppo and Latakia from NATO terrorists, Erdogan has deliberately failed to implement his part of the agreement and instead increased the support for these terrorists.

The SAA’s military operation that started yesterday swiftly took al-Qaeda terrorists by surprise, their sponsor, the Turkish madman ‘Mama Erdogan’ lost his balance and lashed out at Putin, indirectly, but at a brewing front very far from Syria, in Libya, where Turkey and Qatar are sponsoring the Tripoli government against Benghazi government.

Erdogan’s ‘dirty tongue’ accused Russia of sending paramilitary troops to aid the Benghazi government forces which are working to reunite the country and clean the Libyan capital Tripoli from ISIS and its affiliates.

Back to Syria’s Idlib where the SAA is resorting to the successful tactic by cutting off supply routes for NATO-sponsored al-Qaeda terrorists then surrounding the targeted area and leaving one corridor open for the terrorists to flee towards the direction the SAA wants, always north towards their sponsor.

More in this report by the Lebanese news channel Al-Mayadeen:SAA Military Operation

Transcript of the English translation of the video report:

Um Jalal, Al-Rabia, Al-Khuriba, and Al-Haira are the first villages in the southern and eastern countryside of Idlib which the Syrian Arab Army units enter at the beginning of a major battle that is gradually becoming clear.

The advancement of the incursion units was based on a concentrated fire through airstrikes and artillery and rocket shelling that extended over the axes of the two major cities of Saraqeb and Ma’rat al-Numan.

The shelling destroyed large fortifications and gatherings of the HTS (Nusra Front – Al-Qaeda Levant), ‘The Caucasus Soldiers’ and ‘The National Liberation Front.’

Mahmoud Abdeslam, Military Expert: The Syrian Arab Army advanced after a clean operation by targeting a pre-defined target bank with high-precision quality weapons that led to the completion of the destruction of ground defenses and the main repellent lines of terrorist groups on the entire 70-kilometer front starting from Khan Sheikhoun towards Ma’rat al-Numan and Saraqeb.

The momentum of the fighting continues with a gradual encroachment that the Syrian Arab Army crowned last August to retake Khan Sheikhoun. Army units, in coordination with the Russian ally, are completing a clear route to secure the two vital routes: M5 between Aleppo, Saraqeb and Ma’rat al-Numan to Damascus, and the M4 between Aleppo and Saraqeb to Jisr al-Shughour, Latakia.

Two tracks correspond to the current fighting from Sinjar-Abu Al-Dhohour towards Ma’rat al-Numan and from Abu Al-Dhohour to Jaziraaya in the southern Aleppo countryside to Saraqeb, east of Idlib, and the M4-M5 link.

Mahmoud Abdul Salam, Military Expert: The main objective of this operation is to enforce the Sochi Convention by force and to reopen the main roads of the M4 and M5, especially since the main road known as the M4 has been opened to passengers from the far north-east of Syria.

The Idlib front is designed to implement one of the most important provisions of the Russian-Turkish Sochi agreement, namely the restoration of the two highways from Aleppo to Damascus and from Aleppo to Latakia, and the two roads passing through Saraqeb.

(Agreement) articles blocked by the militants since the end of last year.

The implementation of the Sochi clauses confirms the success of the strategy of the gradual encroachment of territorial geography, which the terrorists were controlling for years. The completion of the mission is linked to Russian arrangements with Turkey to handle the file of 3 Turkish checkpoints that are at the center of combat operations.

Mohammed al-Khader, Damascus, Al-Mayadeen.

End of the transcript of the English translation.

Anticipating the SAA’s military operation, the terrorist groups operating in Idlib started moving their families northwest towards Idlib City and to the borders with Turkey where protests erupted against the Turkish rejection of receiving the rest of the families of its own terrorists. Turkey might have allowed up to 50,000 family members of the terrorists, they’re part of the Erodgan’s ‘Safe Zone’ arrangement to Israelize territories in the north of Syria by replacing the people there with terrorists and their families loyal to the Turkish madman.

Source: Trend Newsagency
A total of 10 civilians, including eight children, were killed and 13 were wounded in a mortar attack by militants in the city of Tall Rifat, in northern Aleppo province on Wednesday, Maj. Gen. Yuri Borenkov, the head of the Russian Centre for Syrian reconciliation, said, Trend reports citing Sputnik.

“A sports club in the city of Tall Rifat in Aleppo province was shelled by terrorists. They fired 120-mm mortar rounds from the southeastern outskirts of the village of Kaljibrin. The shelling killed 10 civilians [a man, a woman and eight children], while another 13 people were injured, including seven children, two of them are in serious condition,” Borenkov said at the daily briefing.
According to the general, 40 violations of the ceasefire by militants have been registered in the Idlib de-escalation zone in the past 24 hours alone.

Earlier, UNICEF regional director Ted Chiaban, following the initial reports on attacks on Tal Rifaat town, urged all parties to the Syrian conflict to protect children and warned that those who target them deliberately would be held accountable.

On 3 December, Borenkov noted that units of the Russian military police and combat aircraft continue to carry out patrol missions along the designated routes in Syria’s Aleppo and Raqqa provinces.

Source: Syria News
Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad told his Russian counterpart that Syria categorically rejects the Turkish aggression under any guise, in other words, a rejection to the Russian – Turkish agreement reached between Mr. Putin and the Turkish pariah Erdogan.

In a phone conversation between the two heads of states following the visit of the Turkish pariah Erdogan to Sochi, Mr. Putin conveyed to Dr. Assad Russia’s agreement with the Turks on combatting ‘all forms of terrorism’ in Syria!

Turkish pariah Erdogan has flip-flopped countless times and failed for over a year to oblige his forces to meet his own commitments under the Astana Agreement (Idlib Agreement) to isolate Nusra Front terrorists from the other terrorist groups in the province, instead, the Turkish pariah strengthed the grip of the al-Qaeda Levant group over entrapped 3 million Syrians in Idlib.

Russian President has convinced the Turkish pariah to replace withdrawing US troops with Russian troops in the area which Trump granted in northeast Syria to establish a Turkish protectorate in. Mr. Putin sounds hopeful to be able to slowly remove Erdogan forces from northern Syria by time, a repeat to earlier bets on the Turks and the Kurds who instead took advantage of the Russian position to occupy more land and attempt to Israelize it.

However, Dr. Assad has stressed to Mr. Putin during the phone conversation Syria’s rejection of all Turkish interventions, attempts to carve out Syrian territories under any form and to stop all forms of demographic changes to any areas by seeing the displaced Syrians return to their homes.

The Turkish pariah wants to created a border province of up to 32 kilometers south of current Turkish borders inside Syria and to replace the people of this land with anti-Islamic Muslim Brotherhood Syrians with their families loyal to him. Syria has fought all these years against any of these attempts.

Mr. Putin taking Trump’s shoes over the Turks thinks this would help solve the current crisis in Syria. It’s the same mistake the West committed in our region for decades thinking the people of the Levant are attached to their land by a real estate contract that can be exchanged with other lands anywhere. This Russian Turkish agreement if it includes such swap of lands, similar to what Israel wants to do with the Palestinians, is doomed to fail and will only cause much more blood-shedding.

Dr. Assad conveyed this message to his Russian counterpart, SANA conveyed his words as follows: ‘The President also stressed the return of residents to their regions to stop any previous attempts of any demographic change to which some sides tried to impose, affirming Syria’s determination to combat terrorism and occupation in any span of the Syrian territories with all legitimate means.’

Dr. Assad told Mr. Putin that all blame for the current situation with the Turkish aggression and spread of terror is on ‘those with separatist agendas’ referring to the sellout Kurdish separatist groups once supported by Russia.

Russia’s agreement with Turkey will give NATO useful idiot the separatist Kurds 150 hours to withdraw from the proposed zone Trump granted Turkey. Russian FM Lavrov stated that Russian Military forces will enter this region to oversee the SDF withdrawal starting today (October 23.)

In a complete breach of Syria’s sovereignty which Dr. Assad rejected, the Syrian authorities will not be allowed to enter the proposed Zone and will have to deploy border patrols along the southern borders with this proposed zone. Syria, as per all its officials, considers the respect to its sovereignty includes its ability to govern all regions within its borders, including the deployment of law enforces agencies, the Syrian Arab Army, and Damascus’s control over municipal and local administration.

Taking advantage of current engagement of the Syrian Arab Army against NATO terrorists in Idlib and trying to change all of the above under any guise will only lengthen the chaos in the country, spill more blood, and cause endless conflicts in the future, which for sure the Russians wouldn’t want to see but fail to realize, for now, not to mention that the Turks can never be trusted, let alone the reputation their current leader earned for just that.

Syria has no other viable option, meanwhile, other than to support popular resistance against Erdogan forces in the Trump Zone, while eliminating terror in Idlib then march northeast and eradicate Erdogan forces from there, bring back the Syrian displaced families to their towns and villages, and restore the country as it was pre-2011 until the complete liberation of the Golan and Iskandaron.

Source: SANA
Idleb – Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist organization and the affiliated groups in Idleb continue to take civilians as human shields and prevent them from leaving towards the safe areas via Abu al-Dohour corridor for the 26th day in a row.

SANA reporter said that the terrorist organizations continue to cut off roads in order to prevent locals, who are willing to exit towards the safe areas, from leaving through Abu al-Dohour corridor, in addition to setting up barricades to prevent cars from reaching the Syrian Arab Army’s points.

The reporter added that Jabhat al-Nusra terrorists are deliberately circulating rumors and lies to distort the reality of safety and security felt by all who go out from the terror-controlled areas in Idleb.

Authorities concerned continue to take all measures and logistic procedures for receiving the citizens who get out of areas where the terrorists exist, providing them with food and medicines, and transporting them to temporary housing shelter.