March 31, 2015
BEIRUT — Syrian government forces fired surface-to-surface missiles and conducted airstrikes on the northwestern city of Idlib days after it was seized by Islamic militants, killing more than a dozen people, activists said Tuesday.
State media said “tens” of fighters were killed in a “military operation” in Idlib, and a pro-government newspaper said the army is preparing to retake the city, adding that government forces will “soon” broadcast a statement announcing its re-capture.
Islamic fighters led by al-Qaida’s branch in Syria and the ultra-conservative Ahrar al-Sham group seized control of Idlib on Saturday after four days of intense shelling and fighting. Its capture was a major blow to President Bashar Assad’s government, which has retained control of almost all the country’s major urban areas through four years of unrest.
Idlib, with a population of around 165,000 people, became the second provincial capital to fall to the opposition after Raqqa, which is now a stronghold of the Islamic State group. Its capture underscores the growing power of extremist groups in Syria, which now control about half the country.
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