On December 31, government forces entered the village of Khuwayn Kabir in southern Idlib. The village had been controlled by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra, the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda).
According to some pro-government sources, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and the Tiger Forces even already established control over Khuwayn Kabir. However, this still has to be confirmed.
On December 30, the SAA and its allies liberated Atshan, Tall Maraq, Abu Omar, al-Nasiriyah, Jaddu’ah, al-Salumiyah, Zatar Hill and other points in the nearby area from militants.
Since the fall of Abu Dali into the hands of government forces, the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham defense has been collapsing in southern Idlib. The group has made few attempts to stop the SAA advance, but has not been able to achieve a success in this effort yet.
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