Syrian and Russian forces launch major bombing campaign against Turkish-backed militias in Idlib

ByNews Desk The cradle

The bombing campaign comes just two days after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's meeting with his Russian counterpart

Local sources in Syria’s northwest reported on 1 October that Syrian government forces along with Russian warplanes have begun an intense bombing campaign on Turkish-backed rebel groups in the south and west of Idlib and northwest of Hama.

These airstrikes come just two days after Russian President Vladimir Putin met with his Turkish counterpart to discuss, among other topics, the implementation of a 2020 agreement to drive terror groups out of the Idlib governorate.

Days before this meeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told media that Ankara has not held up its end of the deal which calls for Idlib to become a “de-escalation zone.”

Earlier this month, the Russian head of state also hosted Syrian President Bashar Assad in Moscow.

During their meeting, the two allies reportedly discussed plans to liberate the Idlib governorate, with Putin, in particular, saying that the biggest issue threatening Syria is the ongoing presence of foreign troops in the country.

“I believe the main problem is the presence of foreign armed forces without the permission of the United Nations and without your mandate, which obviously contradicts international law and prevents you from adopting measures aimed at the country’s consolidation and recovery,” Putin told Assad on 13 September.

Since Assad’s visit to Moscow, Russian forces have markedly increased their attacks on rebel strongholds in Syria’s northwest, and they were also instrumental in the liberation of Deraa governorate near the Jordanian border.