Explosion at Al-Qaeda Base in Syria’s Idlib Kills Eight Militants

Reports say shell exploded as fighters trained

An explosion tore through the base of al-Qaeda in Syria faction Hayat Tahrir al-Sham on Tuesday, in the rebel-dominated northern Syrian province of Idlib. At least eight fighters were killed, and 10 wounded.

Exactly what happened is still trying to be sorted out. A shell exploded, according to some, and it was during a training exercise among the fighters. At the same time, US coalition drones were overhead, so an attack cannot yet be ruled out.

This faction has dominated the rebel held parts of Idlib, having overwhelmed the other rebel factions in the small province. The Syrian government has made inroads into the province as well, controlling the main highway into neighboring Aleppo.

There hasn’t been a lot of heavy fighting in Idlib in recent months, but the situation has never been resolved. With the war effectively over in much of Syria, places like northern Idlib and Daraa al-Balad will be targets in an attempt to eliminate the rebellion.

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.