NW Syria clashes kill 48 in highest toll since truce — monitor

Clashes in northwest Syria killed 48 regime fighters and jihadists in the highest such death toll since the start of a two-month-old ceasefire there, a monitor says.

A truce since March 6 largely stemmed fighting in Syria’s last major rebel bastion of Idlib after a months-long regime assault that killed hundreds of civilians and forced almost a million to flee.

But before dawn on Sunday, rebels attacked the positions of pro-regime fighters on the western flank of the jihadist-dominated region, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says.

The clashes in the Sahl al-Ghab area killed 35 regime fighters as well as 13 jihadists including from the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Hurras al-Deen group, the Britain-based monitor adds.

“It’s the highest death toll for fighters since the truce came into force,” says Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman, who relies on sources inside Syria.

“There had been intermittent clashes and mutual bombardment between both sides before, but this is the most violent attack yet.”

Abdel Rahman says clashes were ongoing after dark on Sunday night.

— AFP