This photo provided by the activist-operated Thiqa News Agency, shows a Turkish military convoy heading toward the town of Khan Sheikhoun, in Idlib province, Syria, Monday, Aug. 19, 2019. The Turkish military convoy carrying ammunition crossed into northern Syria Monday and moved south through rebel-held areas before it was stopped by airstrikes that struck near the highway where the convoy was moving, opposition activists said. (Thiqa News Agency via AP)

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — The Latest on developments in Syria as the government offensive intensifies on the country's last rebel stronghold (all times local):

Turkey says airstrikes have targeted a Turkish military convoy in Syria, killing at least three civilians. There was no immediate word on any Turkish casualties in the attack.

The Defense Ministry says 12 other civilians were wounded in Monday's strikes, which took place as the Turkish convoy was heading toward a Turkish observation post in the Syrian rebel-held stronghold of Idlib.

The ministry didn't provide other details but "strongly condemned" the airstrikes, adding they were contrary to "existing agreements as well as our cooperation and dialogue with Russia."

It called for "urgent measures" to prevent a repeat of the incident.

It wasn't immediately clear who was behind the strikes, Syrian or Russian warplanes. Turkey has 12 observation posts in and on the edge of Idlib as part of an agreement reached with Russia.

Syrian activists say that airstrikes halted a Turkish military convoy carrying ammunition after it crossed into northern Syria earlier in the day, bound for a rebel-held stronghold.

They say the strikes hit near the highway where the convoy was moving on Monday. It wasn't immediately clear whether it was Syrian government or Russian warplanes that struck near the convoy but the development marked a sharp escalation in tensions in the northwestern province of Idlib where Syrian troops have been on the offensive for weeks.

Syria's Foreign Ministry slammed Turkey, saying the convoy consisted of armored vehicles loaded with ammunition and was heading to Khan Sheikhoun, a major rebel-held town in Idlib province, the country's last rebel stronghold.

Turkey backs the rebels who have been in control of the region since 2012, while Russia backs Syrian President Bashar Assad's government, which has vowed to take back Idlib. </s> The Latest: Turkey says its army convoy targeted in Syria

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — The Latest on developments in Syria as the government offensive intensifies on the country's last rebel stronghold (all times local):

Turkey says airstrikes have targeted a Turkish military convoy in Syria, killing at least three civilians. There was no immediate word on any Turkish casualties in the attack.

The Defense Ministry says 12 other civilians were wounded in Monday's strikes, which took place as the Turkish convoy was heading toward a Turkish observation post in the Syrian rebel-held stronghold of Idlib.

The ministry didn't provide other details but "strongly condemned" the airstrikes, adding they were contrary to "existing agreements as well as our cooperation and dialogue with Russia."

It called for "urgent measures" to prevent a repeat of the incident.

It wasn't immediately clear who was behind the strikes, Syrian or Russian warplanes. Turkey has 12 observation posts in and on the edge of Idlib as part of an agreement reached with Russia.

Syrian activists say that airstrikes halted a Turkish military convoy carrying ammunition after it crossed into northern Syria earlier in the day, bound for a rebel-held stronghold.

They say the strikes hit near the highway where the convoy was moving on Monday. It wasn't immediately clear whether it was Syrian government or Russian warplanes that struck near the convoy but the development marked a sharp escalation in tensions in the northwestern province of Idlib where Syrian troops have been on the offensive for weeks.

Syria's Foreign Ministry slammed Turkey, saying the convoy consisted of armored vehicles loaded with ammunition and was heading to Khan Sheikhoun, a major rebel-held town in Idlib province, the country's last rebel stronghold.

Turkey backs the rebels who have been in control of the region since 2012, while Russia backs Syrian President Bashar Assad's government, which has vowed to take back Idlib. </s> DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Airstrikes halted a Turkish military convoy carrying ammunition after it crossed into northern Syria on Monday, bound for a rebel-held stronghold, opposition activists said.

The strikes hit near the highway where the convoy was moving, the activists said.

It was not immediately clear whether it was Syrian government or Russian warplanes that struck near the convoy but the development marked a sharp escalation in tensions in the northwestern province of Idlib where Syrian troops have been on the offensive for weeks.

Syria’s Foreign Ministry slammed Turkey, saying the convoy consisted of armored vehicles loaded with ammunition and was heading to Khan Sheikhoun, a major rebel-held town in Idlib province, the country’s last rebel stronghold.

Turkey backs the rebels who have been in control of the region since 2012, while Russia backs Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government, which has vowed to take back Idlib. There was no immediate official word from Turkey, which has 12 observation posts in and on the edge of Idlib province, about a convoy headed to Syria.

Turkey’s private DHA news agency said Syrian government planes targeted the route of a Turkish military convoy carrying reinforcement vehicles and personnel. It said the convoy was heading toward two Turkish observation posts in the region when it came under Syrian aircraft fire.

The report said the convoy could not proceed because the route between Maaret al Numan and Khan Sheikhoun was targeted, so it sheltered at a safe location. The agency did not report any casualties.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said airstrikes believed to be Russian struck near the highway and forced the nearly 25-vehicle Turkish convoy to stop.

Mazen al-Shami, an opposition activist based in Idlib, also said that warplanes struck areas near where the Turkish convoy was moving. The Sham Network, an activist collective, posted photos of the Turkish convoy: A mushroom of smoke, apparently from the airstrike, could be seen in the distance.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry called the convoy’s incursion a “flagrant Turkish intervention,” saying it had reached Saraqeb, a town north of Khan Sheikoun, early Monday.

Syrian government troops reached the western outskirts of Khan Sheikhoun earlier in the day. The pro-government Al-Watan online and the Observatory reported that Syrian troops have entered Khan Sheikhoun from the northwest.

The ministry said “this hostile behavior of the Turkish regime” would not affect Syrian troops’ push into Khan Sheikhoun.

Syrian troops have been on the offensive in Idlib and its surroundings since April 30. The region is home to some 3 million people, many of them displaced in other battles around the wartorn country. The latest round of fighting in the past month has displaced some 450,000 people.

Khan Sheikhoun is a stronghold of al-Qaida-linked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the most powerful group in the rebel-held areas. The town was the scene of a chemical attack on April 4, 2017 that killed 89 people. </s> Syria’s north-west is the last major stronghold of the opposition to Bashar Al Assad

Syrian regime troops and their allies entered Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib, north-west Syria, advancing against rebels in the town where battles raged on Monday night.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the army seized the town’s northern and eastern districts.

A source from one of the rebel factions said pro-government forces entered only part of the town and fierce battles were being fought to fend them off.

The advance threatens to encircle insurgents in their only patch of territory in nearby Hama province and could put a Turkish observation post there at risk.

Earlier in the day a Turkish military convoy was hit by air strikes in Idlib province.

Turkey's defence ministry claimed that three civilians were killed and 12 others wounded in the attack, which they said breached Ankara's agreements and co-operation with Russia, the most powerful ally of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad.

Turkey said Russia had been told in advance about the convoy.

Ankara said the vehicles had been travelling to a Turkish observation post in north-west Syria, but the Syrian Foreign Ministry said they had been carrying munitions to help rebels in the province.

The “aggressive” Turkish move of sending in the convoy would not affect “the determination of the Syrian Arab Army to keep hunting the remnants of terrorists", a Syrian ministry source told state news agency Sana.

Read More Turkey removes three pro-Kurdish mayors over terrorism charges

“Turkish vehicles loaded with munitions are heading towards Khan Sheikhoun to help the terrorists, which confirms once again the support provided by the Turkish regime to terrorist groups," the source said.

The convoy was hit near the frontline as it headed for Khan Sheikhoun, which the Syrian army advanced towards last week in a pincer movement.

Turkey has funnelled weapons to the rebels it backs in the north-westerly province to hold off major aerial and ground attacks by the regime and Russia, who seek to gain control of the area.

Mr Al Assad launched the assault in April, saying the rebels had broken a ceasefire.

The Observatory said the Turkish convoy was stuck on a highway after air strikes prevented it from continuing southwards. It said one fighter accompanying the convoy was killed.

Apparently a near miss. Syrian regime forces have shown no hesitancy to fire at (and kill) Turkish military units assigned to observe the ceasefire. https://t.co/SCwsFbg6ka — Tobias Schneider (@tobiaschneider) August 19, 2019

Fighting has killed at least 500 civilians and uprooted hundreds of thousands, many of them stranded near the border with Turkey, the UN says.

Turkey, which hosts about 3.6 million Syrian refugees and says it cannot accept any more, fears the onslaught in Idlib could spark a new influx.

A series of truces brokered in talks between Moscow and Ankara has failed to end the fighting.

On Friday, France called for an immediate end to the fighting, and the French Foreign Ministry condemned air strikes on refugee camps.

An aerial view of a convoy of Turkish military vehicles passing through Maaret Al Numan in Syria's northern province of Idlib, reportedly heading toward the town of Khan Sheikhun in the southern countryside of the province. AFP A truck carrying a tank. AFP A convoy of Turkish enters as inhabitants flee the battles and shelling toward safer areas. AFP The convoy passes through the town of Saraqeb in the northwestern province of Idlib. AFP The Syrian Foreign Ministry told Sana that the “aggressive” move would not affect “the determination of the Syrian Arab Army to keep hunting the remnants of terrorists”. AFP The Syrian Foreign Ministry said the convoy was carrying munitions. AFP Inhabitants of Maaret Al Numan in Syria's northern province of Idlib watch a convoy of Turkish military vehicles reportedly headed to assist rebels against regime forces. AFP Inhabitants of Maaret Al Numan in Syria's northern province of Idlib watch a convoy of Turkish military vehicles reportedly headed to assist rebels against regime forces. AFP Inhabitants of Maaret Al Numan in Syria's northern province of Idlib watch a convoy of Turkish military vehicles reportedly headed to assist rebels against regime forces. AFP Inhabitants of Maaret Al Numan in Syria's northern province of Idlib watch a convoy of Turkish military vehicles reportedly headed to assist rebels against regime forces. AFP </s> Image copyright AFP/Getty Image caption Syria has condemned the convoy as an act of aggression and says it is heading for the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhoun

A Syrian government air strike aiming to stop a Turkish convoy reaching a rebel-held town in northern Syria has killed three civilians, Turkey alleges.

Another 12 people were injured in the attack in Idlib province on Monday, the Turkish defence ministry said.

Idlib, one of the few areas not under government control, was supposed to be protected by a buffer zone agreed with rebel-backing Turkey last year.

But government assaults have been on the increase since April.

Hundreds of civilians have already been killed as a result, and there are fears many more will die if the situation continues to escalate.

"This is our worst nightmare coming true," Jan Egeland, from the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), told the BBC.

"We have for years now warned against the ultimate catastrophe being Idlib, where there was no escape for three million civilians. There are some very bad militants inside.

"But a wholesale attack on this area of Idlib and adjacent northern Hama would mean that a million children would come in horrific crossfire, and it's that that now seems to be happening."

Why is Turkey sending a convoy into Syria?

Turkey, which backs some, but not all, the rebels, has forces in Idlib as part of last year's agreement with Russia.

According to Naji Mustafa, a spokesman for the National Liberation Front rebel grouping, the convoy was heading to one of its observation points with "reinforcements" when the attack took place.

An AFP correspondent who saw the convoy reported it included about 50 armoured vehicles, at least five of which were tanks.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The story of the picture showing a Syrian family's harrowing moment after an air strike

But Syria has said the convoy's arrival in the region is an act of aggression. It said the munitions would not stop government forces "hunting the remnants of terrorists".

According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a Russian aircraft carried out strikes near the convoy on 19 August.

Turkey has said the attack breaches last year's agreement, with the incident raising fears of direct clashes between the countries.

Why is this happening now?

After eight years of war, the Syrian government is trying to win back control of the last rebel-held areas.

Government forces, backed by Russia, reportedly entered the northwest outskirts of Khan Sheikhoun on Sunday.

Khan Sheikhoun, which was hit by a Sarin gas attack in 2017, lies on a highway connecting Damascus to Aleppo and is a strategically important town in the south of the province.

If it is captured, it will mean the Syrian regime has effectively encircled a rebel-held area to the south, which includes a Turkish observation post in the town of Morek.

Mr Mustafa told AFP the convoy was heading to Morek.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption A young face destroyed by war: The impact of an airstrike one year on

Syrian forces have now massed to both the east and west of Khan Sheikhoun, and air strikes are targeting the centre and surrounding villages.

Last week a Syrian government war plane was shot down in the area, hit by an anti-aircraft missile fired by militants, according to Syrian state news agency Sana.

Jihadist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) has claimed responsibility and released footage purportedly showing the captured pilot.

A colonel from a rebel faction confirmed to Reuters news agency that there were battles going on on the outskirts. Fighters from a Turkish-backed rebel force have joined the defence, he said.

The Syria crisis: Five questions, answered

How did the war start?

The country descended into war after President Bashar al-Assad's government used deadly force to crackdown on pro-democracy protesters, who took to the streets in March 2011 demanding political freedom.

Who is fighting who?

That's complicated: President Assad's regime is fighting rebel groups ranging from pro-democracy groups to jihadist extremists, while a number of foreign powers are providing support to various sides.

How many people have died?

It is not known exactly, as death tolls vary according to the source, but it is estimated to stand at more than 500,000 dead or missing.

How many refugees are there?

More than 5.6 million people have fled Syria since 2011, with another 6.6 million internally displaced, according to the United Nations.

What has happened to President Assad?

His position looked tenuous at one point during the eight year conflict, but thanks to international allies like Russia and Iran, President Assad has won back control of most of Syria, and has set his sights on Idlib. </s> Damascus on Monday condemned the deployment of a Turkish military convoy towards a key town in northwestern Syria where regime forces are waging fierce battles with jihadists and rebels.

An AFP correspondent saw a military convoy made up of around 50 armoured vehicles including personnel carriers and at least five tanks travelling through the Idlib province.

They were headed south in the direction of the town of Khan Sheikhun, which Russia-backed regime forces entered on Sunday.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported Syrian and Russian air strikes aimed at hindering the convoy’s advance through Idlib province.

“Turkish vehicles loaded with munitions… are heading towards Khan Sheikhun to help the terrorists,” a foreign ministry source said, using the regime’s blanket term for rebels and jihadists.

This “confirms once again the support provided by the Turkish regime to terrorist groups,” state news agency SANA reported the source as saying.

The AFP correspondent saw them on their way to the town of Maaret al-Noman, which lies 15 kilometres north of Khan Sheikhun.

A Russian air strike hit the rebel vehicle leading the convoy just outside Maaret al-Noman, killing a Turkish-backed fighter from the Faylaq al-Sham group, the Britain-based Observatory said.

The AFP correspondent saw the convoy pause briefly outside the town.

After the convoy made it inside the town, Russian and Syrian warplanes targeted its outskirts in an apparent “attempt to prevent the convoy from advancing”, Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said.

On Sunday, pro-regime forces backed by Russian air strikes took control of Khan Sheikhun’s northwestern outskirts.

Any seizure of Khan Sheikhun and territory further east would encircle a patch of countryside to its south, including the town of Morek that is home to a key Turkish observation post.

Naji Mustafa, a spokesman for the National Liberation Front rebel grouping, told AFP: “The Turkish reinforcements were headed to… Morek.”

Khan Sheikhun lies on the southern edge of the Idlib region, which after eight years of war is the last major stronghold of opposition to President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

The Idlib region was supposed to be protected from a massive regime offensive by a buffer zone deal signed between Russia and Turkey in September last year.

Some Turkish troops were deployed to patrol the planned buffer zone, but it was never fully implemented as jihadists refused to withdraw from the planned demilitarised cordon.

Since late April, the regime and Russia have upped their bombardment of the Idlib region of some three million people, killing more than 860 civilians.

For more than a week, deadly clashes have seen regime forces slowly advancing in the southern edges of the bastion.

Khan Sheikhun lies on a key highway connecting government-held Damascus with the northern city of Aleppo, which the regime retook from rebels in December 2016.

Jihadist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, led by Syria’s former Al-Qaeda affiliate, controls most of Idlib province as well as parts of the neighbouring provinces of Hama, Aleppo and Latakia. </s> A Turkey Armed Forces convoy is seen at a highway between Maaret al-Numan and Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib province, Syria, Monday, Aug. 19, 2019. The Turkish Defense Ministry says airstrikes have targeted a Turkish military convoy in Syria, killing at least three civilians and wounding 12 others in Monday's attack that occurred while the convoy was heading toward a Turkish observation post in the rebel-held stronghold of Idlib. (Murat Kibritoglu/DHA via AP)

A Turkey Armed Forces convoy is seen at a highway between Maaret al-Numan and Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib province, Syria, Monday, Aug. 19, 2019. The Turkish Defense Ministry says airstrikes have targeted a Turkish military convoy in Syria, killing at least three civilians and wounding 12 others in Monday's attack that occurred while the convoy was heading toward a Turkish observation post in the rebel-held stronghold of Idlib. (Murat Kibritoglu/DHA via AP)

BEIRUT (AP) — The main insurgent group in the Syrian province of Idlib pulled out of a key rebel town as government forces advanced in the area on Tuesday amid intense bombardment and airstrikes, a militant group and opposition activists said.

As the militants withdrew, government troops moved into northern and western neighborhoods of Khan Sheikhoun, marking a significant gain for President Bashar Assad’s forces as they try to chip away at territory controlled by the opposition in Idlib. The northwestern province, dominated by an al-Qaida-linked faction, is the last major rebel-held bastion in Syria.

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, Syria’s main al-Qaida-linked faction, said in a statement that its fighters carried out “a re-deployment,” withdrawing to areas south of the town of Khan Sheikhoun. From there, they would continue to defend the territory, it said.

Syrian state TV said government troops have expanded their presence in the Khan Sheikhoun area, without giving further details.

“The victories that were achieved show the determination of the people and the army to strike terrorists, until all parts of Syria are liberated,” Assad said, according to comments released by his office.

The withdrawal is a blow to the opposition. Syrian government forces have been on the offensive in Idlib and northern parts of Hama province since April 30, forcing nearly half a million people to flee to safer areas further north. The fighting also killed more than 2,000 people, including hundreds of civilians.

After months of intense bombardment, the insurgents’ defenses appear to be crumbling as they are now losing ground at a much faster pace compared with the first three months of the government push.

In the long-running Syrian civil war, now in its ninth year, the northwestern region — where Turkish, Russian, U.S. and Iranian interests are at stake — has taken center stage in the conflict.

The latest government gains come as NATO allies Turkey and the U.S. are discussing setting up a buffer inside Syria — one that Ankara wants to push Syrian Kurdish fighters it considers terrorists further to the east.

There has been speculation, meanwhile, that Russia and Turkey, which back rival sides in Syria’s conflict, have reached an agreement that would allow the Syrian army to retake parts of Idlib and reopen a highway that links the capital, Damascus, with the northern city of Aleppo, Syria’s largest.

Khan Sheikhoun, which had been held by militants since 2014, sits on that highway.

After the capture of Khan Sheikhoun, Syrian troops are likely now to move north toward Maaret al-Numan, another town on the highway that has been subjected to intense airstrikes over the past days. Opposition activists also reported intense bombardment on the rebel-held town of Jisr al-Shughour on the southwestern edge of Idlib on Tuesday.

Backed by Russian air power, Syrian troops were able to enter parts of Khan Sheikhoun overnight, according to opposition activists, and are now clearing the area abandoned by militants of explosives and booby traps.

“After fierce bombardment by the criminal enemy that avoids direct confrontation with holy warriors by implementing a scorched earth policy, our fighters have redeployed south of Khan Sheihoun,” the statement said.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said the al-Qaida-linked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and other insurgent groups withdrew from Khan Sheikhoun as well as the towns and villages south of the town.

According to the Observatory, Khan Sheikhoun was home to about 1 million people, nearly 700,000 of them displaced by fighting in other parts of the country, before the government offensive began in April. In recent days hundreds of civilians remained in the town according to the group that tracks Syria’s war, now in its ninth year.

The Syrian Response Coordination Group, a relief group active in northwestern Syria, called on Tuesday for a “humanitarian truce” to allow civilians who are stuck in the areas of fighting to leave. The group said in a statement the Russia and Syrian governments “are practicing terrorism against civilians” in violation of international laws.

Khan Sheikhoun was a stronghold of the al-Qaida-linked militant faction, the most powerful group in rebel-held areas in Syria. The town was also the scene of a chemical attack on April 4, 2017 that killed 89 people.

At the time, the United States, Britain and France pointed a finger at the Syrian government, saying their experts had found that nerve agents were used in the attack. Days later, the U.S. fired 59 U.S. Tomahawk missiles at the Shayrat Air Base in central Syria, saying the attack on Khan Sheikhoun was launched from the base.

The Syrian government and its Russian allies denied there was a chemical attack.

Also Tuesday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu warned the Syrian government against “playing with fire,” a day after an airstrikes targeted a Turkish army convoy near Khan Sheikoun, killing 3 civilians.

Cavusoglu said the convoy was on its way to provide “security” to a Turkish observation post in Idlib. Syria said the convoy was carrying ammunition to rebels.

“We will do what is necessary for the security of our soldiers ... but we are working to avoid reaching that point,” he said. </s> Militants’ defense in southern Idlib and northern Hama has collapsed.

On August 19, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA), the Tiger Forces and their allies backed up by Syrian and Russian air power cut off the M5 highway north of Khan Shaykhun capturing several hills and checkpoints in the area. Late on the same day, government forces overrun militants’ fortifications entering the town.

On August 20, units of the SAA and the Tiger Forces continued clashing with militants in the area. The town is about to fall into the hands of government forces.

According to pro-government sources, militants are currently fleeing their positions in Kafr Zita, Lataminah, Moerk and nearby areas.

Turkey attempted to prevent this scenario by sending a large military convoy (28 pieces of military equipment, including at least 7 battle tanks) accompanied by Turkish-backed militants towards Khan Shaykhun. The plan was to establish so-called observation point near Khan Shaykhun and use Turkish troops as human shields to defend militants there. However, the convoy was not able to reach the target.

The Syrian Air Force carried out several strikes on the convoy path near Heish killing at least one militant field commander and destroying a vehicle armed with machine gun. The Turkish Defense Ministry officially condemned the strikes claiming that 3 civilians were killed and 12 others were injured as a result of the action. Ankara claimed that the convoy was initiated to ensure the safety of Observation Point No. 9, to keep supply routes open and prevent civilian casualties in the region.

Turkey even sent F-16 warplanes to Syrian airspace to defend the convoy, but they were welcomed by Russian fighter jets hovering over the same area and retreated.

The deep cooperation of so-called moderate opposition with terrorist groups like Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and their unwillingness to participate in a proposed peace process predetermined a new round of escalation in the Idlib zone. In the near future, government troops will likely focus on clearing northern Hama.

Filed under: Al Qaeda, Brotherhood, FSA, Nusra Front, Russia, SAA, Syria, Takfiris, Turkey, War on Syria | Tagged: Hama, Khan Sheikhoun, Liberation of Idlib | </s> This photo provided by the activist-operated Thiqa News Agency, shows part of a Turkish military convoy heading toward the town of Khan Sheikhoun, a rebel-held northwestern town that’s part of a government offensive on the country’s last rebel stronghold, in Idlib province, Syria, Monday, Aug. 19, 2019. A Turkish military convoy carrying ammunition crossed into northern Syria Monday and moved south through rebel-held areas before it was stopped by airstrikes that struck near the highway where the convoy was moving, opposition activists said. (Thiqa News Agency via AP)

BEIRUT (AP) — The main insurgent group in the Syrian province of Idlib pulled out of a key rebel town as government forces advanced in the area on Tuesday amid intense bombardment and airstrikes, a militant group and opposition activists said.

As the militants withdrew, government troops moved into northern and western neighborhoods of Khan Sheikhoun, marking a significant gain for President Bashar Assad’s forces as they try to chip away at territory controlled by the opposition in Idlib. The northwestern province, dominated by an al-Qaida-linked faction, is the last major rebel-held bastion in Syria.

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, Syria’s main al-Qaida-linked faction, said in a statement that its fighters carried out “a re-deployment,” withdrawing to areas south of the town of Khan Sheikhoun. From there, they would continue to defend the territory, it said.

Syrian state TV said government troops have expanded their presence in the Khan Sheikhoun area, without giving further details.

“The victories that were achieved show the determination of the people and the army to strike terrorists, until all parts of Syria are liberated,” Assad said, according to comments released by his office.

The withdrawal is a blow to the opposition. Syrian government forces have been on the offensive in Idlib and northern parts of Hama province since April 30, forcing nearly half a million people to flee to safer areas further north. The fighting also killed more than 2,000 people, including hundreds of civilians.

After months of intense bombardment, the insurgents’ defenses appear to be crumbling as they are now losing ground at a much faster pace compared with the first three months of the government push.

In the long-running Syrian civil war, now in its ninth year, the northwestern region — where Turkish, Russian, U.S. and Iranian interests are at stake — has taken center stage in the conflict.

The latest government gains come as NATO allies Turkey and the U.S. are discussing setting up a buffer inside Syria — one that Ankara wants to push Syrian Kurdish fighters it considers terrorists further to the east.

There has been speculation, meanwhile, that Russia and Turkey, which back rival sides in Syria’s conflict, have reached an agreement that would allow the Syrian army to retake parts of Idlib and reopen a highway that links the capital, Damascus, with the northern city of Aleppo, Syria’s largest.

Khan Sheikhoun, which had been held by militants since 2014, sits on that highway.

After the capture of Khan Sheikhoun, Syrian troops are likely now to move north toward Maaret al-Numan, another town on the highway that has been subjected to intense airstrikes over the past days. Opposition activists also reported intense bombardment on the rebel-held town of Jisr al-Shughour on the southwestern edge of Idlib on Tuesday.

Backed by Russian air power, Syrian troops were able to enter parts of Khan Sheikhoun overnight, according to opposition activists, and are now clearing the area abandoned by militants of explosives and booby traps.

“After fierce bombardment by the criminal enemy that avoids direct confrontation with holy warriors by implementing a scorched earth policy, our fighters have redeployed south of Khan Sheihoun,” the statement said.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said the al-Qaida-linked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and other insurgent groups withdrew from Khan Sheikhoun as well as the towns and villages south of the town.

According to the Observatory, Khan Sheikhoun was home to about 1 million people, nearly 700,000 of them displaced by fighting in other parts of the country, before the government offensive began in April. In recent days hundreds of civilians remained in the town according to the group that tracks Syria’s war, now in its ninth year.

The Syrian Response Coordination Group, a relief group active in northwestern Syria, called on Tuesday for a “humanitarian truce” to allow civilians who are stuck in the areas of fighting to leave. The group said in a statement the Russia and Syrian governments “are practicing terrorism against civilians” in violation of international laws.

Khan Sheikhoun was a stronghold of the al-Qaida-linked militant faction, the most powerful group in rebel-held areas in Syria. The town was also the scene of a chemical attack on April 4, 2017 that killed 89 people.

At the time, the United States, Britain and France pointed a finger at the Syrian government, saying their experts had found that nerve agents were used in the attack. Days later, the U.S. fired 59 U.S. Tomahawk missiles at the Shayrat Air Base in central Syria, saying the attack on Khan Sheikhoun was launched from the base.

The Syrian government and its Russian allies denied there was a chemical attack.

Also Tuesday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu warned the Syrian government against “playing with fire,” a day after an airstrikes targeted a Turkish army convoy near Khan Sheikoun, killing 3 civilians.

Cavusoglu said the convoy was on its way to provide “security” to a Turkish observation post in Idlib. Syria said the convoy was carrying ammunition to rebels.

“We will do what is necessary for the security of our soldiers … but we are working to avoid reaching that point,” he said.
Syrian Air Force warplanes repeatedly strike a Turkish military convoy driving through the rebel-held region of Idlib, reportedly causing several casualties and forcing it to stop. Turkey claims the convoy was aiming to supply observation posts, while Syria accuses it of carrying weapons and ammunition to rebel groups.