Militants in Syria's Idlib vow to continue fight as deadline looms

We will not abandon our weapons or hand them over, says Idlib terrorist group

BEIRUT: The dominant alliance in Syria's last major militant stronghold of Idlib province said Sunday it would continue to fight, hours before a deadline for the terrorists to withdraw from a planned buffer zone.

"We have not abandoned our choice of implementing our blessed revolution," said Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, an alliance led by al Qaeda terrorists.

Its statement came just hours before a midnight deadline for HTS and other terrorists to leave a planned demilitarised zone around the northwestern region of Idlib agreed under a Russian-Turkey deal last month.



But as the clock ticked down, HTS did not explicitly say whether it supported or rejected the September 17 accord between government ally Russia and militant backer Turkey to stave off a government attack on Idlib.

"We appreciate the efforts of all those who strive inside and abroad to protect the liberated area and forbid its destruction or massacres being carried out in it," HTS said, in a likely reference to Turkey.

"But at the same time, we warn of the deceitfulness of the Russian occupier and against any trust in its intentions," it added, referring the government's ally. The militants said they would not give up their weapons.



"We will not abandon them or hand them over," they said.
HTS and other militants control more than two-thirds of the planned demilitarise area that was to come into force on Monday.

Syrian forces have retaken large parts of Syria from militants and terrorists since Russia intervened in the civil war in 2015.