The local council of Jisr al-Shughour said Tuesday the key northern city is a stricken area as the regime and Russia’s bombing turned big parts of the city in Idlib province into ruins.
The city that overlooks on the Alawites-dominated villages of coastal Latakia province has been under major offensive in the last few weeks.
Activists said half of the population had fled Jisr al-Shughour due to the daily aerial and ground bombing, including incendiary bombs, amid lack of basic needs.
Mohammed Hamado, a lieutenant colonel and commander in the Free Syrian Army (FSA) said the regime aims to control the whole mountainous area overlooking al-Ghab Plain in the west in order to reduce the risk of rebels and prevent their advance to the coast.
“the regime aims to control the city of Jisr al-Shoghour, as it considered a geographic expansion of the countryside of Latakia and one of the most important entrance to the city from the East.
The city of Jir al-Shughour is situated in the North West of al-Ghab Plain, it has been for long known as a city of the opposition, as the Syrian regime had committed a massacre in the beginning of Eighties last century. And it was the city where the armed opposition was born.
Rebels liberated the city in April 2015, which put the main military camp in Jorin under the mercy of the rebels, which led to heavy clashes and battles in al-Ghab Plain.
Idlib province is one of the most important strongholds of rebels, including jihadist factions, who seek to overthrow Bashar al-Assad.
Jisr al-Shughour capture to secure the 'Alawite Canton': opinion
In relevant development, Hama Governorate Council, in statement issued Saturday, said the northern countryside said is a stricken area, calling on local and the International community to stand with the displaced people who endured to brutal and deadly aerial campaign for over 60 days.
The opposition council said the Syrian army and its allied Shiite militias had destroyed the infrastructure, hospitals, schools, shelters and mosques.
People have no way to survive daily shelling, the statement said.
The northern countryside of Hama is regularly bombed by the air forces of Syria and its Russian ally.
Backed by heavy Russian and regime airstrikes, the regime army seeks to expel rebels from the Hama province and to secure the Alawite dominated territory in al-Ghab Plain, local activists say.
The peaceful demonstrations that ended up with deadly war carried out by the Syrian regime and key regional players has killed at least 465,000 people, including 150,000 children and has displaced over 12 million people
