Four Syrian soldiers were killed in an assault carried out by Chinese militants from the Turkestan Islamic Party. The attack targeted positions of the Syrian Arab Army along the northern Latakia countryside axis.
A Syrian field source told “Sputnik” that armed groups affiliated with the Turkestan Islamic Party launched a pre-dawn infiltration operation towards one of the army’s posts in the northern Latakia countryside, specifically on Mount Nabi Yunus. They exploited the region’s topography and thick fog for the maneuver. The source added that intense clashes broke out between the two sides after the infiltration was detected, resulting in the martyrdom of 4 army soldiers while repelling the attack. He also confirmed the killing of several militants.
The terrorist organization, Jabhat al-Nusra, holds sway over the majority of Idlib province, along with dozens of its allied organizations. Among these are the Turkestan Islamic Party and the Albanian Group, both of which control parts of the northern Latakia and northwestern Hama countrysides. Other, lesser-known formations, such as the ISIS-affiliated Ansar al-Tawhid, the Caucasus Soldiers, and the Guardians of Religion who pledge allegiance to the al-Qaeda leader in Afghanistan, also operate in the region.
