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- Activist Describes Fall of Busra al-Sham to Rebels: “Extreme Fear and Panic Gripped the Pro-Regime Militias”
The rebel offensive on Idlib in northwest Syria has achieved early success, taking up positions inside the city and cutting off major roads to prevent regime reinforcements.
A coalition of rebel groups took at least 13 regime checkpoints around and in Idlib. They captured the perimeter road, the major line of defense around the city. They cut the roads to the north to al Fu’ah and to the south to Ariha — and from there to Aleppo and Latakia, from where the regime could send troops in an attempt to bolster defenses. Inside Idlib, opposition fighters have occupied the university sector in the west and the cemetery in the east.
See also Syria Daily, March 25: Rebels Begin Battle for Idlib City in Northwest
Having taken the road to the south of Idlib, the rebels are using it to reinforce their units at the southern entrance to the city. Several regime convoys were blocked on Tuesday. Syrian forces, mainly conscripts but also including a contingent of five officers and 45 soldiers from the “Brick Factory”, have reportedly defected to the opposition.
Thousands of rebel fighters, overseen by the newly-formed Jaish al-Fatah operations room, are involved in the operation, as well as units of the Islamist faction Jabhat al-Nusra.
Rebels attacking the checkpoint at the electricity sub-station:
Fighters inside a textile factory:
Jabhat al-Nusra claims a checkpoint north of Idlib:
Scenes from Idlib last night:
Despite the rebel successes around the city, an intense fight is expected over the next days for supply lines as well as inside Idlib. The regime still has significant firepower in local areas such as al-Fu’ah, Mastoumeh, and Ariha, from where it can attack opposition forces.
The Syrian air force will also continue bombing, including the use of barrel bombs and allegedly chlorine canisters. At least 20 people were reportedly injured in Binnish by chlorine attacks, with the use of the chemical also reported in two other villages. However, casualties from the bombing were limited by the expectation of the airstrikes, with rebels moving civilians out of the targeted areas.
This morning claims and video are circulating of another attack, this one on Sarmin, southeast of Idlib:
Sarmin was struck last week by four barrel bombs with chlorine canisters, killing six members of a family and wounding more than 100 others.
Activist Describes Fall of Busra al-Sham to Rebels: “Extreme Fear and Panic Gripped the Pro-Regime Militias”
Earlier this week, rebels took the ancient town of Busra al-Sham, known for its Roman heritage, in southern Syria near the Jordanian border.
Ahmed Hourani, head of the Busra al-Sham Local Coordinating Committee, describes Assad forces discovering they were surrounded:
Extreme fear and panic gripped the pro-regime Shiite militias. Some were seen fleeing in tears, ditching their uniforms as they ran for their lives. They just didn’t expect the battle to end up the way it did, with the rebels completely encircling them. Regime supplies and troop reinforcements couldn’t get through the rebel blockade, and neither could Shiite militias coming from Suwayda to relieve their encircled comrades.
It didn’t help that they saw many regime soldiers killed right before their eyes. Retreat was not an option, as the rebels had encircled the city before the battle even started.
