The source said that in the early hours of Sunday, a large group of Al-Nusra Front terrorists unsuccessfully tried to enter the territory of the villages of Ain al-Bayda and Jabal Al Qalaa, which are controlled by the Syrian Army in Idlib; the army's counter-attack reportedly left dozens of the terrorists dead and wounded.
"The Syrian Army was also able to capture a number of armed terrorists with their vehicles and weapons after they were ambushed. Also, the army thwarted the terrorists' attempts to attack the village of al-Soda," the source said.
The counter-attack came as the Syrian Army and the NDF won back a whole array of strategic heights in Idlib, destroying the terrorists' strongholds located in the province's northern areas, according to the source.
#SYRIA Military force will not be used against formations, which observe ceasefire regime, as well as peaceful population and civil objects
— Минобороны России (@mod_russia) 21 марта 2016 г.
Syria has been mired in a civil war since 2011, with forces loyal to the country's President Bashar Assad fighting a number of opposition factions and extremist groups, including Daesh and the al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front, which have been blacklisted as terrorist organizations by many countries, including Russia.
#SYRIA Military force will be used against armed groups only after receiving evidence of systematic violations of obligations taken by them
— Минобороны России (@mod_russia) 21 марта 2016 г.
In February 2015, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2268, endorsing a Russia-US agreement on the cessation of hostilities in Syria; the ceasefire came into force shortly thereafter, on February 27. However, Daesh (ISIL/ISIS) and the Al-Nusra Front are not included in the truce.
Mi-28N 'Night Hunter' #201 over #Latakia #Syria pic.twitter.com/k9ptcWK8Ai
— Военный Советник (@miladvisor) 19 марта 2016 г.
Between September 30, 2015 and March 14, 2016, the Syrian Army's anti-terror efforts were backed by an extensive Russian air campaign. During that period, more than fifty Russian warplanes, including Su-24M, Su-25 and Su-34 jets, executed precision airstrikes on Daesh and Al-Nusra targets in Syria at the behest of President Assad.
Moscow will, however, maintain a military presence in Syria, although a deadline for a complete pullout has not yet been announced. Putin also indicated that Russian forces will remain at the port of Tartus and Hmeymim Airbase.
