Rebels fire shells from Syria buffer despite heavy arms pullout

BEIRUT — Opposition fighters have fired mortar shells from a planned buffer zone in northwest Syria, in a deadly attack that threatens a deal to protect the last major rebel bastion from a regime offensive.

The Russian-Turkish accord also provides for extremists to withdraw by Monday from the demilitarised zone ringing rebel-held areas in and around Idlib province.

But a monitor and AFP correspondent said on Sunday no hardliners had been seen leaving the region yet.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor reported "heavy mortar shells" were fired late Saturday from the planned buffer area into regime territory, killing two soldiers.

The deal agreed last month is only the latest in a string of truces throughout Syria's seven-year war, which has killed more than 360,000 and displaced millions.

It calls for setting up horseshoe-shaped buffer zone around the Idlib region that would be free of heavy arms by October 10 and of "radical fighters" by October 15.

Rebels and extremists had reportedly met the first deadline, with Turkish officials, armed factions and the Britain-based observatory reporting that the area was free of heavy-duty weaponry.

But the shells which on Saturday hit an army position in Hama province appear to have violated the accord.

“This is the first clear violation of the deal since the heavy weapons were withdrawn. This area is supposed to be clear of heavy weapons, including mortar shells,” said observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman.

He said intermittent regime shelling had been hitting the planned buffer for days, but the deal does not require government forces to withdraw any of their weapons.

Clock winds down

Syrian pro-regime daily Al Watan also reported rebel shelling, saying on Sunday that western parts of Aleppo province were being hit with “rocket fire and shelling with heavy weapons, which were supposed to be pulled out from the area”.

The observatory said it was not clear which groups fired the mortars, as both the Turkish-backed National Liberation Front (NLF) and rival extremist factions were present in the area.

The NLF — which holds just under half of the Idlib region and has welcomed the accord — did not immediately respond to AFP’s request for comment on the shelling.

The lion’s share of Idlib is held by Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS), an alliance led by former Al Qaeda members, as well as more hardline extremists like Hurras Al Deen and Ansar Al Islam.

Those fighters also control more than two-thirds of the planned buffer zone and are supposed to withdraw by Monday.

But that deadline appeared increasingly precarious on Sunday, with no hardliners visibly leaving the zone as the clock winds down.

The observatory said it had not monitored any withdrawals, and an AFP correspondent in Idlib also said no extremist factions had moved any of their units in recent days.

 Persuading these extremist factions to implement the deal’s second half would be much more challenging, observers say.

In a recent report for the Turkey-based Omran Centre, expert Nawar Oliver described HTS’s approval as the deal’s ultimate “test”.

“If HTS acts as a spoiler to the agreement on the ground, this will probably lead to one of two scenarios: Either Turkey and the NLF launch military action against HTS, or Russia will seize the opportunity with the support of the regime and its allies to enter Idlib,” he said.

“The ramifications of that move could be vast,” he added.

On Friday, residents around Idlib received warning messages on their mobile phones from the Syrian army.

“Get away from the fighters. Their fate is sealed and near,” one said.