Clashes kill 55 combatants in northwest Syria

Clashes between regime loyalists and insurgents in northwest Syria killed 55 combatants on Saturday, as government forces continued to nibble away at territory held by its opponents, a war monitor said. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a jihadist group led by Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate, has since January controlled most of Idlib province as well as parts of neighbouring Hama, Aleppo and Latakia provinces.
Several other armed rebel groups also operate in the area. Fighting in various parts of the region on Saturday claimed the lives of 23 pro-government forces as well as 32 jihadists and allied rebels, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The regime also launched dozens of air strikes against northern Hama and southern Idlib, the Britain-based monitor added. The latest violence came as forces loyal to Damascus pushed a days-long advance towards a strip straddling the provinces of Hama and Idlib, it said.