Anti-regime groups in Syria capture Khan Sheikhun, entire Idlib province

By Omer Koparan

IDLIB (AA) - Armed opposition groups opposing the Assad regime recaptured the Khan Sheikhoun district and gained control over the entire Idlib province.​​​​​​​

The armed groups, which have been clashing with the regime forces in the north of the country since Nov. 27, continue to advance in the east and southeast of Idlib.

The armed groups took over more than 50 villages from the regime forces as of Saturday morning and recaptured the Khan Sheikhoun district center. With the capture of Khan Sheikhoun, the anti-regime groups gained control across Idlib.

In August 2019, the Russian-backed Assad regime forces took control of Khan Sheikhoun in defiance of the Astana agreements and the Sochi memorandum.

Anti-regime armed groups on Saturday also recaptured Maarrat al-Numan, the largest town in Idlib province.

- Khan Sheikhoun targeted with chemical weapons in 2017

The town of Khan Sheikhoun was on the world agenda after the Assad regime killed 100 people in a chemical weapons massacre on April 4, 2017.

The US struck the regime's Shayrat military airbase on April 7, 2017, and the Joint Investigation Mission of the UN and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) confirmed on Oct. 27, 2017 that the regime had carried out the attack.

- Idlib heavily contested after Astana, Sochi agreements

The center of Idlib fell under opposition control in 2015. Idlib was one of the most heavily targeted areas by the regime.

At the Astana meeting between Türkiye, Russia and Iran on May 4-5, 2017, four “de-escalation zones” were established, including Idlib province and some parts of neighboring provinces (Latakia, Hama and Aleppo provinces), the north of Homs province, Eastern Ghouta in the capital Damascus and the southern regions of the country (Daraa and Quneitra provinces).

However, the regime and Iran-backed terrorists seized the rest of the 4 zones, except Idlib, where a cease-fire was declared and the situation was contained, thanks to Russia's air support. Hundreds of thousands of civilians fleeing the attacks have migrated to the north near the Turkish border.

Attacks on Idlib continued for some time after the Sochi agreement reached by Russia and Türkiye on Sept. 17, 2018.

*Writing by Efe Ozkan