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As Fighting Intensifies, Islamist Militants Leave Key Town in Syria's Idlib

Sirwan Kajjo

   The largest militant group in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib
   has withdrawn from a key town as Syrian regime troops advanced in the
   southern part of Idlib, local sources said.

   The pullout came after days of intense bombardment by Syrian and
   Russian warplanes targeting rebel positions inside the town of Khan
   Sheikhoun and nearby villages, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights,
   a war monitor, reported.

   "The Syrian regime and its allies now are poised to take complete
   control of the town," Rami Abdulrahman, director of the Syrian
   Observatory, told VOA.

   He added that Syrian warplanes targeted about a dozen villages in the
   vicinity to push back opposition fighters from the town in southern
   Idlib.

   Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), al-Qaida's Syria affiliate, said in a
   statement on Tuesday that its fighters have "redeployed" in parts of
   Khan Sheikhoun "after extreme bombardment" by Syrian regime forces.

   The militant group, labelled as a terrorist organization by the United
   States, added that despite its withdrawal, it would continue fighting
   Syrian troops in the area.

   Khan Sheikhoun, which has been under militant control since 2014, is
   located on a major highway that links the Syrian capital, Damascus, to
   the country's largest city, Aleppo.

   Expected move

   While Syrian regime troops haven't fully entered the town yet, experts
   said the recent move by HTS and its allies was expected.

   "It was inevitable for opposition forces to withdraw from parts of
   Idlib," said Ahmed Rahal, a former Syrian army colonel who is now a
   military analyst in Istanbul.

   "Syrian regime troops are backed by airpower from Russia and there was
   an evenness in the fight on the ground. It was hard for rebel forces to
   continuously remain in one area," he told VOA.

   Residents fleeing

   To avoid a Syrian regime assault, Khan Sheikhoun residents have begun
   fleeing their homes in Idlb for nearby towns.

   "At least 100 families, including mine, left their homes," a
   32-year-old Khan Sheikhoun resident who left his home on Monday, told
   VOA. He declined to be identified for security reasons.

   He added that volunteer groups have been helping civilians to evacuate
   the town before the regime takes full control.

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