Hama clashes disrupt Russian-Turkish deal

Aya Ezz

Militant groups, including the pro-al-Qaeda Guardians of Religion Organization, staged a number of attacks on Syrian army posts in the western countryside of the western Syrian province of Hama.

The attacks left nine Syrian army soldiers dead as well as five members of the militant groups launching the attacks, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Russia and Turkey agreed two months ago to establish a demilitarized zone, around 20 kilometers deep into the northwestern Syrian city of Idlib.

The two sides agreed the deal, a short time after Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said his army might stage an all-out operation in the city to eradicate terrorist organizations in it, especially Tahrir al-Sham.

The demilitarized zone is located in the area separating the Syrian army from militant organizations active in the city. It includes parts of Idlib, parts of the western Aleppo countryside, parts of the Hama countryside and parts of the northern Lattakia countryside.

Clashes take place between the Syrian army and terrorist organizations in the area from time to time.

Deputy Head of the Arab Center for Political Studies and Research Mukhtar Ghobashi ruled out the possibility of an end to militant attacks against Syrian army posts in the near future.

Political crises raging on in Syria, he said, would delay the end of these attacks.

“Political crises and the security vacuum some parts of Syria suffer from are nourishing fodder for terrorist organizations,” Ghobashi told al-Marjie.

He said terrorist organizations use these conditions to take root and grow.

“Syria’s political crises must come to an end first in order for terrorist presence in the country to be eradicated,” Ghobashi said.