Cairo, Dec 4 (EFE).- More than 700 people have died, including 110 civilians, in a week of offensive by the Islamist alliance Levant Liberation Organization and other opposition factions supported by Turkey in northwest Syria. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported this Wednesday.
According to the NGO, based in the United Kingdom and a wide network of collaborators on the ground, a total of 704 have died since the beginning of the offensive, with which the rebels have managed to take control of the province of Idlib. large areas of neighboring Aleppo, and have even been planted in front of the gates of Hama, further south.
Among the dead are 302 fighters from the Levant Liberation Organization (Hayat Tahrir al Sham, or HTS in Arabic), as well as 59 members of factions allied to the Islamist movement and supported by Turkey, such as the so-called ‘National Army’.
Since November 27, according to the Observatory, at least 233 soldiers from forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad have also died, in addition to fighters from other pro-Iranian forces and militias allied with Damascus.
Additionally, a total of 110 civilians have died in the violence, including children. Some of them have died from projectile fire from the insurgents, but the vast majority have died in bombings launched by fighter jets from Syria and Russia, al-Assad’s supporter.
According to the Observatory, Russian fighters have carried out some 250 bombing raids, in addition to another 318 by Damascus aviation and another 45 air attacks carried out by helicopters of the Syrian forces.
The NGO indicated that during the day on Wednesday HTS fighters attempted to take control of the largest military camp in the northern province of Hama, an attack that government forces “led by Russian and Iranian officers” were able to repel.
The fighting is taking place mainly north of the strategic city of Hama, where the Syrian Army has reinforced its positions and has begun a counterattack to push the insurgents towards Idlib and prevent their planned advance towards the central province of Homs.
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