On December 25, the Russian Aerospace Forces bombed a military convoy of Ahrar al-Sham moving near the town of Kafr Nubl in southern Idlib, according to reports by Arab media.
Ahrar al-Sham is the radical Turkish-backed militant group. It’s the core of the pro-Turkish militant alliance known as the National Front for Liberation.
The terrorist group’s General Commander Abu Jaber al-Sheikh was reportedly injured in the strike on the convoy. Several other influential Ahrar al-Sham commanders and members were killed.
Additionally, local media reported that another airstrike hit a meeting of militant commanders in the town of Maarat al-Numan, which is the key militant stronghold in this part of Greater Idlib.
Syrian government sources say that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (the de-facto branch of al-Qaeda in Syria), Ahrar al-Sham and other militant groups rejected the Syrian Army proposal to surrender Maarat al-Numan. Therefore, it’s expected that the Syrian Army will push to storm the town in the near future.