Militants launch fresh attacks on Syria forces
Militants currently engaged in peace talks with the Syrian government have begun a fresh offensive against military and civilian positions northwest of the country as accusations fly high on violations of a truce deal meant to restore calm to the country.
Sources close to the militants said on Monday that attacks were launched in rural areas of the Latakia Province, northwest of Syria, where the government enjoys a relatively considerable support.
The sources said the offensive was meant to retaliate what they called government’s deliberate violation of the truce, which has been in effect across Syria since end of February.
Other militants said attacks were carried out in rural districts of Hama, a province adjacent to Latakia.
The attacks come against the backdrop of meetings between the government and militant groups in the Swiss city of Geneva, where the United Nations is trying to seal a permanent peace deal between the warring sides. The United Stated and Russia engineered the current ceasefire in a bid to facilitate the talks.
A representative of the militants in Geneva talks, identified as Mohammed al-Abboud, said Monday that the opposition has the right to defend itself. However, reports from Geneva have shown that the anti-government side is becoming increasingly irked with the way the talks are going forward. Damascus denies it has done any deliberate violation, saying militant attacks like the one on Latakia on Monday are meant to give the opposition the upper hand in the negotiations.
The current truce in Syria excludes Daesh and Nusra Front, two major Takfiri groups operating in the east and north of Syria. Government forces have managed to retake some key areas from the two groups over the past few weeks.
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