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Pullout of heavy weapons from Syria buffer zone to last days: rebels
AL-EIS, Syria, Oct 7, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – The withdrawal by rebels of their
heavy weapons from a planned buffer zone in northwestern Syria is due to last
several days, a Turkish-backed alliance of fighters said Sunday.
The National Liberation Front (NLF) announced Saturday that it has begun
withdrawing heavy arms from the zone as part of an agreement between Syrian
regime ally Russia and rebel backer Turkey.
The accord, reached on September 17, aims to stave off a massive regime
assault on Idlib province, the last major rebel bastion in Syria, by creating
a 15 to 20-kilometre (9-12 mile) buffer zone ringing the area.
All rebels in the demilitarised zone must withdraw heavy arms by
Wednesday, and radical groups must leave by October 15, under the deal.
“We began to withdraw our heavy weapons from the demilitarised zone to
rear positions,” NLF spokesman Naji Mustafa told AFP.
“The operation will last several days,” he said, adding that the weapons
will be held by fighters deployed in positions outside the demilitarised
zone.
The NLF is the main Turkey-backed rebel alliance in the Idlib region, but
jihadist heavyweight Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) holds most of the province
and the zone.
HTS, led by former Al-Qaeda fighters, has yet to announce its stance on
the buffer zone deal.
On Sunday, an AFP correspondent saw NLF fighters on the frontline inside
the planned buffer zone on the Idlib region’s eastern flank.
They waited in trenches armed with light weapons on a hill in the area of
Al-Eis in the southwest of Aleppo province, overlooking the regime-held area
of Al-Hader several kilometres (miles) away.
The correspondent did not see any heavy weapons in Al-Eis.
HTS also has positions on the frontline in the area, but the correspondent
was not immediately able to verify if they had removed their heavy arms.
On Saturday, a media spokesman for Faylaq al-Sham, one of the NLF
factions, confirmed the withdrawal of arms.
Seif Raad said it included pulling back missile launchers, tanks and
mortars.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said the withdrawal of
weapons had already started a week ago and would continue for several more
days.
Weapons were pulled back in rebel-held areas in the north of Hama province
on the border with Idlib and had also been shifted in Idlib province, the
Britain-based monitor said.
Turkey has deployed troops in “observation posts” it set up in rebel-held
areas of Idlib and neighbouring Aleppo province in recent weeks.
BSS/AFP/BZC/1810HRS