IMAGE: Russian Special Forces fighting al Qaeda in Idlib, Syria.
At least sixteen militants of the Ahrar al-Sham Movement were killed on August 30 in a supposed raid by the Russian Special Forces.
According to the available information, a unit of the Russian Special Forces raided the militants’ position between the towns of Qasabiyeh and Hursh Abdin in southern Idlib after a successful infiltration.
Sources affiliated with the Ahrar al-Sham Movement acknowledged the group’s losses. The sources also revealed that one of the militants killed in the raid was Basil al-Khatib, a prominent commander who is known by his nom de guerre Abu Dahdah.
A day earlier, the Russian Special Forces killed a field commander of Jaysh al-Nasir and his two guards in a similar raid in northwestern Hama.
The Ahrar al-Sham Movement and Jaysh al-Nasir are both members of the National Front for Liberation (NFL). The coalition, which was formed last year with direct support from Turkey, is a key ally of al-Qaeda-affiliated Hayat’ Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).
SOURCE: SOUTH FRONT
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