The main Syrian militant group linked to Al Qaeda pulled out of a key rebel town following the Syrian government forces’ campaign of bombardment and airstrikes.

The militant group, operating in the Syrian province of Idlib that held the town of Khan Sheikhoun since 2014, said in a statement released by Syria’s main Al Qaeda-linked faction that it had to make “a redeployment,” with its fighters withdrawing to areas south of the town.

“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 withdrawal is a major loss for the militants in its last major stronghold of Idlib, in northwestern Syria, though the group pledged to continue fighting Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces – backed by Russia – and defend the territory it still holds.

The government forces have been conducting an offensive campaign in Idlib and northern parts of the Hama province since April 30, forcing nearly half a million people to flee the area to safety while more than 2,000 people have died, including hundreds of civilians.

SHOCKING IMAGE FROM SYRIA SHOWS GIRL, 5, CLINGING TO SISTER'S T-SHIRT AT BOMBED BUILDING

Opposition activists say Syrian government forces were able to penetrate parts of the town overnight thanks to air support from Russia. Syrian troops are now working to clear the area abandoned by militants of explosives and booby-traps.

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

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The group said Khan Sheikhoun was home to about 1 million people, with nearly 700,000 of them displaced by fighting in other parts of the country.

The town was also a stronghold of the Al Qaeda-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 left 89 people dead.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. </s> The main insurgent group in the Syrian province of Idlib says it partially pulled out its fighters from an opposition-controlled town as government forces advanced in the area.

A statement on Tuesday from the main al-Qaida-linked faction in Syria says it's "a redeployment" and that its fighters withdrew to the southern part of the town of Khan Sheikhoun from where they would continue to defend their territory.

The withdrawal is a significant loss for the opposition in its last major stronghold of Idlib, in northwestern Syria.

Backed by Russian air power, Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces were able to enter a small part of the town overnight, according to opposition activists.

Khan Sheikhoun is a stronghold of al-Qaida-linked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the most powerful militant group in the area. </s> In a major blow to Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its allies, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) has liberated the key town of Khan Shaykhun in southern Idlib.

Pro-government sources confirmed that army units entered Khan Shaykhun in the afternoon of August 21. All militants reportedly fled the town few hours earlier.

Khan Shaykhun, one of the biggest urban centers in southern Idlib, was a key stronghold of HTS. The town is located on a highway linking the Syrian capital, Damascus, with Aleppo, the country’s industrial center.

The SAA is now advancing northeast of Khan Shaykhun towards its positions near the newly-captured village of Tar’i. Army units are also storming the town of Murak, south of Khan Shaykhun.

Meanwhile, the fate of the Turkish observation post in northern Hama remains unclear. Initial reports indicate that it may have been besieged by the SAA.

BEIRUT, LEBANON (6:45 P.M.) – The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) has completely cutoff the militants from all supply lines in southern Idlib and northern Hama, a source from the military told Al-Masdar this evening. According to the military source, the Syrian Arab Army forces at the Khan Sheikhoun front has met up with the troops near the town of Al-Ta’manah; thus, completing the encirclement of this region in northwestern Syria. In addition to besieging the militants, the Syrian Arab Army has also cutoff the Turkish military at the Morek observation post from all of its supply roads. The Turkish military will have to coordinate with their Russian allies because they are allowed access to the Hama-Idlib Highway, per the September 17th, 2018 Sochi Agreement. At this time, the Syrian Arab Army is still clearing Khan Sheikhoun after entering the city from all axes. Furthermore, the Syrian military’s 5th Corps and Republican Guard are advancing through the Al-Ta’manah area in a bid to secure the town and the remaining points under militant control. As a result of this week’s gains, the Syrian Arab Army has scored a major victory against the jihadist rebels, who previously vowed to defend this region until the last man.

More on this topic:
• Syrian Army Captures New Positions In Southern Idlib, Closes In On Khan Shaykhun
• Breaking: Syrian Army entering Khan Sheikhoun from all axes to take control of city
• Syrian Army still not in control of Khan Sheikhoun despite media claims
• Syrian Army uncovers caves used by militants in southern Idlib: video

Filed under: Al Qaeda, Brotherhood, Erdogan, neo-Ottoman, Nusra Front, SAA, Syria, Takfiris, Turkey, War on Syria | Tagged: AngloZionist Empire, Khan Sheikhoun, Liberation of Idlib, Syrian victory | </s> Image copyright AFP Image caption Rebel fighters posed for pictures with wreckage from the warplane

A Syrian government warplane has been shot down during fighting in the rebel-held northern province of Idlib.

It happened near the town of Khan Sheikhoun, which is being targeted in a Russian-backed government offensive.

Syrian state news agency Sana said that the warplane was hit by an anti-aircraft missile fired by militants.

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

HTS, the dominant faction in Idlib, did not say how it brought down the Russian-made Sukhoi warplane on Wednesday.

In a video published by its media arm Iba on Thursday, a man identifies himself as "Lieutenant Colonel Muhammad Ahmad Sulayman from the 70th Brigade".

"My plane was shot down by mujahideen while I was carrying out my mission east of Khan Sheikhoun. I am currently with mujahideen," he says, referring to the jihadist group.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group, had earlier reported that the pilot had been captured by HTS militants.

Sana quoted a military source as saying that the pilot's fate was unknown.

The government has stepped up its offensive in the region in recent months. Hundreds of civilians have been killed, and hundreds of thousands more driven from their homes.

Syria's government, backed by Russia, is trying to recapture the region from rebels and jihadists.

Khan Sheikhoun, which was hit by a Sarin gas attack in 2017, is a strategically important town in the south of the province.

Government forces said they had seized new ground on Wednesday, advancing to within a few kilometres of Khan Sheikhoun, which has been controlled by rebels since 2014.

A rebel commander told Reuters news agency that the town was in "great danger".

Image copyright AFP Image caption The plane left a large crater after being shot down near Khan Sheikhoun

Idlib, northern Hama and western Aleppo province make up the last opposition stronghold in Syria after eight years of civil war.

They are supposedly covered by a truce brokered in September by Russia and opposition-backer Turkey that spared the 2.7 million civilians living there from a major government offensive.

Civilian areas have been hit frequently since the Syrian government and Russia intensified their attacks earlier this year in response to what they said were repeated truce violations by jihadists linked to al-Qaeda, who dominate the region. </s> BEIRUT: Jihadists on Wednesday downed a regime plane flying over northwest Syria as it took part in a deadly military campaign against the region and took the pilot prisoner, a monitor said.

The warplane was shot down near the jihadist-held town of Khan Sheikhun in the south of Idlib province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. "The pilot has been taken prisoner" and is in the hands of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham jihadist group running the Idlib region, Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said.

The Britain-based monitor said that it was the first such downing of a regime plane since the aerial campaign of the jihadist-run bastion began in late April. Since then the regime and its Russian ally have upped their bombardment of the Idlib region, killing 820 civilians and causing hundreds of thousands to flee.

Regime forces have now advanced to within a few kilometres (miles) of Khan Sheikhun, a strategic town which lies on a key highway. Eight years into Syria’s civil war, the Idlib region is the last major stronghold of opposition to President Bashar al-Assad’s regime. The HTS alliance, which is led by Syria’s former al-Qaeda affiliate, has been in charge of that region since the start of the year. </s> Syrian opposition forces have withdrawn from the strategic town of Khan Sheikhoun, deep in the last rebel-held province.

Government forces, backed by Russia, closed in on the town in recent weeks, five years after rebels took over.

Rebels told the BBC that fighters pulled out of the town on Tuesday.

But an official statement from the main jihadist group in Idlib province, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), characterised it as a “redeployment” of forces.

The fate of the town seemed to be in flux on Tuesday, as the UK-based monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported it had fallen to government forces.

But then HTS issued a statement saying it had redeployed its fighters in the town after coming under a major bombardment.

Khan Sheikhoun has long been a flashpoint in Syria’s civil war.

It was the site of a chemical weapons attack in 2017, which UN experts blamed on Syria. The incident prompted military strikes by the United States.

The conflict in Syria has been going on for more than eight years.

It has been the subject of a major offensive by the forces of President Bashar al-Assad in recent months. Hundreds of civilians have been killed, and hundreds of thousands more driven from their homes.

Idlib province – along with parts of northern Hama and western Aleppo – make up the last strongholds of the armed opposition.

Last year, a deal struck between Russia and Turkey – who back opposing sides in the civil war – was supposed to create a “buffer zone” to protect civilians and limit a major government offensive.

However, government forces have escalated their attacks in recent months, nearly encircling Khan Sheikhoun and the surrounding territory.

On Monday, a Turkish convoy was hit by a government air strike – with Syria alleging the vehicles were on their way to reinforce Khan Sheikhoun. </s> The main terrorist 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, opposition activists said.

Syria’s main al-Qaida-linked faction made what it referred to as “a redeployment,” meaning it withdrew to areas south of the town of Khan Sheikhoun. From there, they would continue to defend the territory, they claimed.

The withdrawal is a significant loss for the opposition in its last major stronghold of Idlib, in northwestern Syria. 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.

Backed by Russian air power, Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces were able to enter parts of the town overnight, according to opposition activists. Syrian troops are now clearing the area abandoned by the al-Qaida-linked group of explosives and booby-traps, activists said.

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

Khan Sheikhoun was a stronghold of the al-Qaida-linked 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. </s> Khan Sheikhoun, a town located on a key road leading to Idlib, the last militant-controlled province in Syria, is on the brink of returning to government control, as jihadist forces which controlled it for years withdraw.

The withdrawal has been preceded by heavy fighting near the town between forces loyal to Damascus and the extremists entrenched in Khan Sheikhoun. Since 2014 the town has been under the control of the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), previously known as Al Nusra Front, linked to Al-Qaeda.

The town made international headlines back in April 2017 when it allegedly witnessed a chemical attack, which the US and its allies quickly blamed on the Syrian government. Washington ordered a strike on the Syrian forces’ Shayrat air base within days after the alleged incident. A subsequent investigation by a joint investigative mechanism launched by the UN and an international chemical watchdog, the OPCW, was conducted remotely and was slammed by Russia as “unprofessional.”

Think your friends would be interested? Share this story! </s> At least nine civilians were killed and 14 others injured in fresh regime airstrikes in the de-escalation zones in northwestern Syria on Tuesday.

The attacks targeted residential areas in the towns of Jisr al-Shughur, Khan Shaykhun, Maar Shoreen, Hantoteen and Ain Al Bardeh in Idlib province, according to an Anadolu Agency correspondent on the ground.

Turkey and Russia inked a deal in Sochi for a buffer zone in September to prevent a massive regime offensive on the Idlib region near the Turkish border.

Following eight months of calm provided by the Sochi deal, the Assad regime intensified its attacks starting April 26 under the pretext of fighting Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) militants holed up in Idlib.

The offensive has displaced over 300,000 within the opposition-held area and killed hundreds, including medical staff. Residential areas have been destroyed by indiscriminate attacks, while numerous educational facilities, health facilities and residential areas have collapsed or have become unusable after being targeted by bombs.

Aid agencies say the scale of bombardment in the northwest risks further humanitarian disaster, hundreds of thousands of people have already fled toward the Turkish border.
The Al-Qaeda-linked faction Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) acknowledges "a redeployment" south of the strategic town of Khan Shaykhun.