Report: 130 killed in Syrian opposition offensive, including 49 regime troops

Opposition takes heavy losses as air support from Russia helps stop the advance, which succeeded in capturing several towns in the Idlib and Aleppo countryside

i24NEWS
i24NEWS
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Fighters from the terrorist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), headed by ex-members of Syria's former Al-Qaeda franchise, demonstrate their battle skills during a military training graduation ceremony in the country's rebel-held northwestern Idlib province
Fighters from the terrorist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), headed by ex-members of Syria's former Al-Qaeda franchise, demonstrate their battle skills during a military training graduation ceremony in the country's rebel-held northwestern Idlib provinceOMAR HAJ KADOUR / AFP

A military offensive launched by Syrian opposition forces on Wednesday has left at least 130 people killed, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights on Thursday.

The fighting is taking place in the countryside of the northwestern Idlib and Aleppo provinces. The regime forces are supported by Russian air cover as they fight to control positions important for supply lines. Several civilian casualties have been reported.

The Syrian state channel SANA said that soldiers had intercepted the offensive, which is still going on.

According to the report, the fighting has left 49 regime soldiers killed, as well as 65 from Hayat Tahrir a-Sham and 16 from the Syrian National Army.

The opposition groups are reportedly united under the Hayat Tahrir a-Sham group, and include the Syrian National Army, which was formerly called the Turkey-backed Free Syrian Army.

Hayat Tahrir a-Sham is linked to jihadist groups, such as Al-Qaeda and the former Nusra Front. It is currently led by Abu Mohammad al-Julani, the founder of the former Nusra Front, which split from Al-Qaeda.

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