Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 4 auguSt 2018
A last showdown looms over Syrian opposition stronghold

By SARAH EL DEEB ployed around 1,000 troops
BEIRUT (AP) — For nearly at 12 observation points
three years, green buses around Idlib to monitor
have filed into Syria's Idlib a cease-fire, effectively
province, bringing those standing between govern-
evacuated from other op- ment forces and the oppo-
position enclaves that fell sition. It is part of a "de-es-
to government forces — calation" zone in the prov-
thousands of defeated reb- ince that ultimately aims
el fighters, wanted activists to root out al-Qaida-linked
and civilians who refused groups as a basis for a fu-
to go back under President ture political process.
Bashar Assad's rule. Turkey warns that a wide-
They now face what is likely scale offensive will wreck
to be the last showdown Russia's efforts.
between Assad's forces Its deployment in Idlib is a
and the opposition. Assad "trip wire that will start to tug
has vowed to retake the at the (agreements with
province, and pro-govern- Russia) if you try to walk
ment media promise the through it," said Aron Lund,
"mother of all battles." This photo provided on Monday, July 22, 2018, shows militants of the al-Qaida-linked coalition a Syria expert with the Cen-
known as Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, Arabic for Levant Liberation Committee
If it comes to an all-out as- overlooking a battlefield in rural Lattakia, Syria. tury Foundation.
sault, it could bring a hu- Associated Press From the other side, the Syr-
manitarian crisis. Filled with ian government is testing
displaced from elsewhere, of war that is now nearly 8 Assad. the north and west. Though the Russia-Turkey relation-
the province in Syria's north- years old — a time when "When we saw the re- Turkey has built a wall, the ship. During the latest meet-
west corner is packed with rebels controlled large sistance collapse in the border remains porous, ing in Russia in July, Syria's
some 3 million people, the parts of two main Syrian cit- south— and we thought providing a supply line for U.N. ambassador Bashar
most deeply irreconcilable ies, major highways, border it never would give it was fighters. That wall could be Jaafari blasted Turkey, say-
with Assad's government crossings, dams and oil re- the first to resist the gov- overwhelmed if massive ing it has failed to weed out
and including some of the sources. ernment — fear really pre- numbers try to flee Idlib. extremists from Idlib.
world's most radical mili- Russian and Iranian back- vailed here," said Barakat. To the east is an enclave Jaafari said Damascus en-
tants. They have little op- ing enabled Assad's military Squeezed, the opposition is held by Turkish-backed courages reconciliation
tion but to make a stand, to claw back territory. Most desperate. But its forces are Syrian fighters, a possible with rebels, but not with al-
with few good places to recently, it scored a victory not small, and their territory escape route for anyone Qaida militants — adding
escape. with heavy symbolic reso- is not tiny and sealed off as fleeing, though it is al- that it is Turkey's responsibil-
"Currently, all (opposition) nance in the south, recap- other opposition holdouts ready overwhelmed by dis- ity "fight terrorism."
from around Syria came turing Daraa, one of the were. That portends a com- placed. "If Idlib returns in reconcilia-
to Idlib. The only solution is first places to rise against plex and difficult battle. Rumblings have started. tion, this is well and good.
to fight. There is no alterna- Assad's rule in 2011. The number of fighters in Activists report government And if it doesn't ...the Syrian
tive," said Firas Barakat, an Around a third of the coun- Idlib is estimated at several reinforcements arriving army has the right to restore
Idlib resident. The 28-year try still remains out of gov- tens of thousands, includ- at Abu Dhuhur air base in control over Idlib by force."
old said that for years he ernment hands in the north ing thousands of battle- eastern Idlib, which Assad's That makes Russia's stance
has dedicated himself to and east, most of it held hardened militants from al- forces seized early this year. critical, said Sam Heller, a
civilian opposition activi- by U.S.-backed Kurdish-led Qaida-linked groups and Troops have been shelling researcher with the Interna-
ties, but now he must take forces that wrested it from from China's Turkic-speak- Jisr el-Shughur, a strategic tional Crisis Group.
up arms. the Islamic State group. ing Uighur minority. opposition-held town over- "Ultimately what deter-
The opposition capture of But Idlib stands as the last Although the al-Qaida- looking the government mines the survival of Idlib
Idlib in 2015 signaled the significant enclave of the linked group dominates, stronghold on the Mediter- may be external, and they
low point for Assad's gov- armed opposition that rose other non-jihadi factions ranean coast. relate to these geopolitical
ernment during the course up dedicated to ousting have maintained their pres- Just how ferocious an of- considerations," he said.
ence, including some of fensive turns out to be de- Russia has already said no
the earliest forces to take pends on diplomatic ma- wide offensive is expected.
up arms against Assad. neuvering among the pow- That has raised speculation
With Turkey's backing, they er players — particularly over a limited operation to
have formed a "National Russia. It appears reluctant control Jisr al-Shughur or
Liberation Front," excluding for an all-out assault. the main highway running
al-Qaida. Russia is juggling between through Idlib.
Idlib has seen a wave of longtime ally Syria and its Wael Olwan — a spokes-
lawlessness and assassina- new friend Turkey, which man for one of the stron-
tions among the various has become central to the gest Turkish-backed Syrian
factions, including shoot- political process Moscow is factions, Faylaq al-Sham
ings and car bombs. Saeed leading to try to resolve the — said Turkey working with
al-Nakrash, a rebel leader conflict. Syrian allies can "dissolve"
originally from near Da- Assad vows to restore all of the al-Qaida-linked fac-
mascus, was kidnapped Syria to its control. Turkey tions.
and held for 50 days. He fears an assault will send But, he said, "I am not opti-
blamed al-Qaida-linked a flood of refugees — and mistic that Russia can hold
militants and said his family militants — swarming to its back the regime forces
paid $75,000 for his release. border. long enough for Turkey
The opposition-held area Under a deal with Russia to dismantle the radical
abuts the Turkish border on and Iran, Turkey has de- groups."q