Russia Strikes Pro-Turkey Faction in Northern Syria

Arab World

September 1st, 6:22am

Idlib – Firas Karam

Smoke billows from Russian shelling on the Aleppo countryside on Tuesday. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Russian jets struck on Tuesday a military position of a pro-Turkey factions in Syria’s Afrin countryside. The development is the first in northwestern Syria since the Turkey-backed Syrian National Army seized the area in March 2018. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said five suspected Russian air strikes targeted a camp of the Failaq al-Sham faction that is close to Turkish intelligence. Several fighters were critically wounded and the camp sustained heavy damage. Failaq al-Sham is one of the units of the National Front for Liberation. Mohammed Hamady, a member of the Syrian National Army, said the Russian attack was unprecedented in the Turkish-held area. It is a clear message from Moscow to Ankara and armed Syrian opposition factions that it has the ability to continue the escalation and violate all ceasefire agreements in Syria or regions under Turkey and the opposition’s control, he added. He speculated that the strikes were attempts at pressuring Turkey and the opposition to agree to concessions and open crossings between opposition- and regime-held regions in the northwest.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3164161/russia-strikes-pro-turkey-faction-northern-syria