For the third time in two weeks, the conglomerate of Al-Qaeda affiliated militant groups “Jaysh Al-Fateh” (Army of Conquest) has conducted a brutal assault at the outskirts of the predominately Shi’i towns of Al-Fou’aa and Kafraya.
On Monday morning, Harakat Ahrar Al-Sham – in coordination with the Syrian Al-Qaeda organization “Jabhat Al-Nusra” and their offshoot “Jund Al-‘Aqsa” – carried out another powerful assault from three different flanks, targeting Al-Fou’aa from their positions at the southern perimeter, and Kafraya from the western and northern perimeters.
Unfortunately for the Jaysh Al-Fateh groups, their infiltration attempt was repelled by the civilian-led National Defense Forces (NDF), resulting in the death of 22 confirmed enemy combatants and the destruction of an armored vehicle mounted with a doshka.
Following their failed assault on Monday morning, Jaysh Al-Fateh regrouped to launch another assault from their positions at Brouma Farms and Binnish; however, their infiltration attempt has been relatively unsuccessful, as the Syrian Armed Forces have yet to concede any territory to Harakat Ahrar Al-Sham and their allies.
Al-Fou’aa and Kafraya are located directly north of the Idlib Governorate’s provincial capital and they remain as the only towns under the Syrian Government’s control in the Idlib Governorate.
Almost 30,000 civilians remain in Al-Fou’aa and Kafraya; if these two towns are captured by Jaysh Al-Fateh, there is great concern over a possible massacre due to the population’s predominately Shi’i religious denomination.
