Beirut - Nearly 100 combatants were killed on Friday in clashes between fighters loyal to Syria’s regime, rebels and extremists in northwestern Syria, a war monitor said.
Starting at dawn on Friday morning - and after bombing by the regime - fighting in northern Hama province killed 51 regime loyalists and allied militiamen, and 45 among the rebels and extremists, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Since late April, air strikes have killed 490 civilians, according to the Observatory, while fighting has killed 682 pro-regime forces and 821 rebels and extremists.
The clashes continued in the afternoon, the Britain-based Observatory said.
Backed by its ally Moscow, Damascus has since late April intensified bombardment of much of Idlib province and the parts of neighbouring Hama, Aleppo and Latakia where Syria’s former Al Qaida affiliate Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS) holds sway.
Fighting has meanwhile taken place on the ground in parts of these anti-regime areas, particularly in northern Hama.
Syria’s official SANA news agency also reported bombardment on Friday.
Idlib and parts of neighbouring Hama, Aleppo and Latakia provinces were supposed to be protected by a buffer zone under an September agreement between Russia and Turkey.
But the region has come under increased bombardment by the regime and its Russian ally since HTS seized most of Idlib at the start of the year.
The Turkish defence ministry said Friday a Turkish soldier was killed and three others were wounded the day before by fire from Syrian regime forces against a Turkish observation post in Idlib province.
The flare-up has also displaced 330,000 others, according to the United Nations, sparking fears of one of the worst humanitarian disasters in Syria’s eight-year war.
