AMMAN: Ten ofthousands of people have fled to the Turkish border in the last few days as theSyrian army pushed a major advance further into the opposition's last majorstronghold, residents, rights groups and opposition sources said yesterday.They left Maarat al-Numan, a main city in Idlib province that has been asanctuary for families fleeing former rebel areas, as a Russian-led campaignhas come close to capturing the strategic town of Khan Sheikhoun further to thesouth. "The flow of cars and vehicles leaving is not stopping," saidAbdullah Younis from the city. Rescuers there said around 60,000 people hadfled in the last four days alone.
On Tuesday, Russian and Syrian jets intensified their bombing of scatteredvillages and towns around Maarat al-Numan, with the al-Rahma hospital in thearea struck, residents said. "There were 15 raids on Jarjanaz in less thanfive minutes," Abdul Rahman al Halabi told Reuters from the area. Rebelsconcede most of their fighters have fled Khan Sheikhoun but are providingfierce resistance to the Syrian army, which has secured a foothold in the town.
State media, broadcasting from the outskirts of Khan Sheikhoun on Tuesday, saidgovernment forces were battling militants but had extended their advance andseized a highway running through the town. Capturing Khan Sheikhoun would be animportant gain for Moscow and its ally into the northwestern region, whereMoscow has helped President Bashar al Assad turn the tide against insurgents inthe eight year conflict since stepping up its intervention in 2015.
Russia has thrown its weight behind the campaign, which began in earnest at theend of April, conducting thousands of raids and strikes on rebel-held northernHama and southern Idlib in what Western military experts and opposition figuressay is a "scorched earth strategy". Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrovacknowledged on Tuesday that Russia had military personnel on the ground inIdlib province, the Interfax news agency quoted him as saying.
The Russian military has previously downplayed its direct role in the campaign,where it used mercenaries and special forces as well as directing battles,according to Western intelligence sources. After months of stalemate Russia hasincreased the intensity of raids in the last 10 days, dramatically transformingthe situation on the ground. Hundreds of civilians have been killed and atleast 400,000 people displaced, according to medics and NGOs and the UnitedNations. Moscow and Damascus, who deny indiscriminate bombing of civiliansareas, say they are fighting jihadist militants.- Reuters