Fighting in Syria’s long-contested Idlib Province has slowed down in
recent days, but all sides involved are using it as an opportunity to send more reinforcements and military assets into the area, anticipating the next round of fighting.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says that Syrian forces are
being sent into the area with an eye toward contested the key highway to
Aleppo, which is in parts still held by al-Qaeda.
But they aren’t the only ones. Russia, anticipating supporting a renewed
Syrian offensive, is bringing some military forces into the area, as
well as mobile clinics and ammunition depots in the area.
On top of that, Turkey is also sending reinforcements into
Maarat-Numaan, a key rebel-held town on the edge of Idlib. The intention
here is clearly to prevent the Syrian/Russian offensive from taking
their allies’ territory.
Turkey’s rebels aren’t directly aligned with al-Qaeda, but they also
aren’t fighting, and during times of Syrian offensives, Turkey tends to
support whoever Syria is fighting.
Military Buildup in Northern Syria; Reinforcements Head to Front Line
Syrian forces keen to capture valuable highway from al-Qaeda
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.
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