Idlib Civilians Brace for Massive Fighting in Densely Populated Area

Last rebel stronghold has large numbers of displaced civilians within

On a map of Syria, the Idlib Province looks relatively unassuming, nestled in the country’s northwest. The small province is effectively the last rebel-held territory in the country, and is expected to play host to a massive battle that will likely be the last big conflict of the Syrian War.

This has about three million civilian residents of the area bracing for the attack. On top of that, Idlib is hosting hundreds of thousands of displaced people who fled other territory. They wanted to stay in rebel territory, but at this point there’s no where else to flee.

The number of people, and combatants (an estimated 70,000 rebels, 10,000 of which are UN-designated terrorists) means this offensive could be a calamitously bloody one. Fighting is likely to include a lot of urban conflict in densely populated areas.

This has been a recurring problem in the wars in both Syria and Iraq, with urban fighting displacing large numbers of people, and little preparation made by the international community to support them. This has led to inordinate casualties, and lingering anger among the displaced.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.