TURKISH-LED FORCES REENTER NAYRAB AMID COLLAPSE OF THEIR DEFENSE IN SOUTHERN IDLIB (MAPS)

Thursday, 27 February 2020

TURKISH-LED FORCES REENTER NAYRAB AMID COLLAPSE OF THEIR DEFENSE IN SOUTHERN IDLIB (MAPS)

By February 25 morning, Turkish-led forces have once again reentered the town of Nayrab in southern Idlib amid an intense fighting with the Syrian Army.

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (formerly the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda) and other al-Qaeda-linked groups supported by Turkey launched an attack to recapture Nayrab from the Syrian Army on February 24. However, their first push resulted in no progress. On February 24 evening, they launched another attack on Syrian Army positions in Nayrab entering the eastern part of the town.

According to pro-militant sources, during the following night clashes, Turkish-led forces captured most of Nayrab from the Syrain Army. On February 25 morning, supporters of al-Qaeda claimed that the entire town of Nayrab had fell into their hands. Pro-government sources deny these reports claiming that clashes are still ongoing.

The attack on Nayrab took place amid the collapse of defense of Turkish-led forces in southern Idlib, where the Syrian Army recaptured over 10 villages and deployed in a striking distance from Kafr Nubl.

The developments on the ground demonstrate that even with a direct Turkish involvement Idlib groups have not enough resources to oppose the Syrian Army advance across the region. So, while they were concentrating their efforts on Nayrab, their defense collapsed on another chunk of the frontline.