Syrian rebel groups begin to withdraw their weapons from Idlib – Syria

Two Syrian rebel groups began Saturday to remove their heavy weapons from a northwestern area of ​​the country where Russia and Turkey have agreed to create a demilitarized zone, opposition activists said.

Rami Abdurrahman, of the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights based in Britain, said the Free Idlib Army and Failaq al-Sham had begun to remove artillery pieces and mortar in areas near the town of Maaret al-Numan.

There was no immediate confirmation from the two groups of the National Liberation Front supported by Turkey, a coalition of 12 rebel factions.

Bassam Haji Mustafa, a senior figure in the Nour el-Din el-Zinki group, part of the FNL, said the withdrawal of heavy weapons began two days ago.

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Last week, Failaq al-Sham said that he had no heavy weapons to remove from the area where the demilitarized zone was to be established by 15 October. The group said its heavy weapons were far from the front lines.

The agreement between Turkey and Russia was agreed last month to avoid a total offensive by Syrian government forces on the region and calls for the elimination of all members of Syrian radical groups from the demilitarized zone. He also calls for the removal of tanks, armored vehicles and rebel artillery weapons in the region.

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The demilitarized zone will cover a distance of about 15 to 20 km, with Russian troops and Turkey, a member of NATO, carrying out coordinated patrols in the area.

Last month, two jihadist groups in Idlib – Horas al-Din, linked to al-Qaida, Arabic for the guardians of religion, and Ansar al-Din, Arabic for supporters of religion – rejected the agreement, calling it a "big conspiracy" against the insurgents. .

However, the largest militant group in Idlib, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a member of the Arab Liberation Committee for the Levant and linked to al-Qaida, has not yet announced its position concerning the demilitarized zone.

Earlier Saturday, an explosive device exploded in a northern town held by opposition fighters backed by Turkey, killing four people, including two children.

The Observatory said the car bomb had exploded at the entrance to the industrial district of Azaz City.

He added that the explosion had occurred near a tanker filled with fuel, causing a fire.

The Aleppo Media Center, a group of activists, also announced the deaths of four people, including two children, adding that the blast had occurred in a shop selling clothes. # 39; gasoline.

Car bombs have been commonplace since the beginning of the conflict in Syria in 2011.

Northern Syria has seen many clashes between rival insurgent groups, including al-Qaeda-linked militants and Turkey-backed rebels.

Clashes erupted on Friday between Al-Qaida-linked HTS and Turkish-backed Nour el-Din el-Zinki group in Aleppo province, but the situation was calm on Saturday after the conclusion of a crackdown. agreement between the two groups, according to activists.