40 Syrian soldiers killed in Idlib attack

IDLIB (Agencies): Up to 40 Syrian soldiers have been killed and 80 others wounded in a multi-pronged attack by militants in the northwestern province of Idlib.

Syria’s official news agency SANA cited a military source as saying that militants launched “fierce attacks with large numbers” on the country’s army positions in the northwestern province early on Thursday.

SANA said the Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist group, formerly known as al-Nusra Front, launched the attacks with the use of various types of weapons, including booby-trapped vehicles, to break through some of the army’s positions in the areas of al-Samaka and al-Tah in Idlib.

The agency added that the Syrian army units redeployed and stopped the attackers from further advancing.

Clashes were still ongoing between the army and Jabhat al-Nusra terrorists along the lines of confrontation, according to SANA.

On Wednesday, the Syrian army units had responded to earlier attacks by the terrorist group on several areas in Idlib, inflicting heavy losses on them in terms of the personnel and equipment.

On August 5 last year, the Syrian army announced the start of an offensive against foreign-sponsored militants in Idlib after they failed to honor a ceasefire brokered by Russia and Turkey and continued to target civilian neighborhoods.

Under an agreement reached in Sochi, all militants in the demilitarized zone to pull out heavy arms.