Over 8,000 PKK terrorists to join Idlib offensive: FSA commander

As a ground offensive against Syria’s Idlib looms, 8,500 terrorists from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) are set to join any possible attack against the northwestern opposition stronghold in coordination with the Assad regime, according to an opposition commander.

The PKK will be part of a 23,000-strong force comprised of terrorists belonging to the Syrian Resistance, Liwaa Iskenderun, Harakat al-Nujabaa, Fatimiyyoun, Asaeb Ahl al-Haq militias, among others.

The Syrian regime has recently announced plans to launch a major military offensive in Idlib, which is controlled by various armed opposition groups.

Speaking exclusively to Yeni Şafak daily about the Idlib offensive, Free Syrian Army (FSA) General Naji Abu Huzaifah warned that observational posts belonging to the Turkish Armed Forces could come under attack.

“PKK terrorists are currently being sent to Idlib from Raqqa, Manbij, Ayn al-Arab and Ayn Eissa. Turkish observational posts are on full alert. Turkey’s observational posts, particularly those near Morek, will be targeted in the case of a ground attack by PKK terrorists and gangs affiliated with Mihraç Ural.”

Turkey, which has a military presence in observation posts it has erected along the frontlines between the opposition and government forces, reiterated its warnings against an offensive.

Gen. Abu Huzaifah pointed that Russia and the Assad regime have different priorities in Idlib, noting that “Russia mainly wants to seize control over the Jisr al-Shughour region and the Damascus- Aleppo, Aleppo- Latakia highway in order to secure its Hmeymim Military Base.”

“However, the regime wants to use Russia as a shield to destroy all opposition and reestablish its authority. The Assad- Russia- Iran bloc is unaware of how powerful we are in Idlib. It will not be easy for them here. However, we’re coordinating with Turkey and we’re awaiting the results of the Tehran summit.”

Russia, an ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, resumed air strikes in Idlib on Tuesday following weeks of bombardment and shelling by pro-Syrian government forces against the opposition’s last major enclave.

The leaders of Russia, Turkey and Iran are due to meet on Friday in Iran and are expected to discuss the situation in northwestern Syria. Turkey, which backs the opposition against Assad, has said an offensive on Idlib would be disastrous. Ankara is sheltering 3.5 million Syrian refugees.

The FSA commander proceeded to list the area that will be targeted by any possible attack, which will include Western Aleppo, Jisr al-Shughour, Turkmen Mount and Morek as the first of four fronts.

The second and third front include the axes of Sahl al-Ghab- Joureen and Jisr al-Shughour-Kensibbeh, respectively.

The fourth front includes Hama’s Hilfaya, Khbayyat and Soran, where Russia’s Wagner Brigade is stationed alongside Iranian-backed Shia militias, according to Gen. Abu Huzaifah.

Meanwhile, members of Mihraç Ural’s Syrian resistance and Afghan Shia militias are stationed near the Rabia, Hamrat and Bahsa fronts.

According to the FSA commander, the regime in Damascus, which struck a secret deal with PKK terrorists on Idlib, had assigned them to the Jamiyaat al-Zahraa- Handarat axis.

Turkey’s armed personnel carrier reinforcements continue to be dispatched from Turkish army units in Kilis, a province on Turkey’s border, to bases in Idlib, as a ground attack on the opposition stronghold looms.

The reinforcements include modernized tanks, armed personnel carriers, artillery and excavators.

Syrian opposition sources said that Russian military aircraft -- flying out of the Hmeimim airbase -- had carried out at least 20 separate attack sorties in recent days.

Russian strikes had killed nine civilians -- including five children -- in Jisr al-Shughur, while leaving at least 20 more people injured.

On Tuesday night, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov confirmed the attack, saying Russia's Hmeymim Airbase in Syria destroyed two drones with surface-to-air missiles.

"On Sept. 4, at night, the anti-aircraft weapons of Hmeimim Airbase destroyed two terrorist assault UAVs,” Konashenkov said.

Konashenkov said that 47 unmanned aerial vehicles that belonged to “terrorists” were destroyed last month in the area of Russia's Hmeymim Airbase.

"On the same day [September 4], four planes from the Russian air unit deployed at the Hmeymim Airbase carried out strikes on Nusra Front targets in Idlib with precision-guided munitions.”

According to the spokesman, the strikes were carried out on storage facilities where drones were kept, located outside settlements, as well as "detected sites where assault drones were launched to carry out terrorist attacks on Russia's Hmeymim Airbase and settlements in the provinces of Aleppo and Hama."

On Tuesday, regime mortar and artillery fire targeted the Idlib town of Jisr al-Shughour and the northern Hama town of Haysh following Russian airstrikes against the region, where close to 4 million Syrians, the majority of whom are internally displaced, had sought refuge after fleeing violence raging in other parts of the war-torn country.

In a bid to thwart regime advances toward the region, opposition forces blew up the Twainiyyeh Bridge near Qalaat al-Madiq, which was already damaged by intermittent regime shelling targeting the area.

Idlib’s southeastern Mount Morek, where a number of Turkish army observation posts are located, is among the targets that are set to be attacked by Iranian-backed Shia militias and PKK terrorists.

As Turkish reinforcements continue to be dispatched to the region, work is ongoing to fortify Turkey’s observational posts by ramping up personnel numbers and putting up large concrete blocks and barricades around the strategic bases, in a bid to strengthen these positions against possible attacks.