The Al-Qaeda linked “Al-Nusra Front” (Jabhat Al-Nusra) pounded the village of Tal Salmo with a barrage of mortar shells in order weaken the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and National Defense Forces (NDF) fortifications at this area south of the strategic Abu Dhuhour Military Airbase located in the northeastern part of the Idlib Governorate.
Following the multitude of mortar shells, the militants from the Al-Nusra Front stormed the SAA and NDF defenses at Tal Salmo, attempting to breach the latter’s frontlines from the western perimeter of the village. The Al-Nusra Front was unsuccessful in their infiltration attempt, as SAA and NDF contingents fought off the assault, resulting in their complete control of the checkpoints adjacent to the village.
In northwestern Idlib, the Syrian Arab Army’s 11th Tank Division warded off a number of attacks by the militants from the Islamic Front (Jabhat Al-Islamiyya) at the village of Ariha in Jabal Al-Zawiyyeh. According to a military source, 14 Islamic Front militants were killed in the clashes at Ariha, including 2 Saudi citizens identified as “’Abdel-Lateef Najeeb Al-‘Irfaan” and “Mustafa ‘Umar Al-Hilaal.” The source also added that 3 soldiers from the 11th Division were killed during today’s clashes at Ariha.
