Syrian Army mobilizes thousands to begin Idlib operations 11 March 2016 War Reports 1733 By Leith Fadel Source: Al-Masdar News Last night, the Syrian Arab Army’s 103rd Brigade of the Republican Guard was joined by a large group of reinforcements from the provinces of Tartous and Homs in order to begin the government’s latest offensive in the Idlib Governorate. According to a trusted military source in northeast Latakia, several armored vehicles arrived to the Kurdish Mountains (Jabal Al-Akrad) last night as part of a new wave of fighters that are set to replace the battle-hardened Desert Hawks (Liwaa Suqour Al-Sahra) after they were transferred to the Palmyra (Tadmur) front. The source added that these legions of reinforcements are from the National Defense Forces (NDF) and the Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP) – they will be tasked with protecting the captured territory while the Syrian Marines, the Special Forces, and the Republican Guard advance east. In addition to reinforcements from the National Defense Forces, the Syrian Arab Army will also be joined by several military contingents of Iraqi combatants; however, the number of personnel participating is still unknown. While the government forces continue to mobilize men and women for this imminent offensive, the Syrian Arab Army’s 103rd Brigade and 48th Special Forces Regiment are still advancing at the strategic town of Kabani on the border of Idlib. Once Kabani is captured, the Syrian forces will split-up: one unit will push west towards the Al-Ghaab Plains, while another legion will push northwest towards the strategic city of Jisr Al-Shughour.
