Syrian Government Forces Capture Rebel Stronghold... International Community Expresses "Humanitarian Disaster Concerns"

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] The Syrian government forces have seized Maaret al-Numan, a major stronghold of the Syrian rebels. As the Syrian government forces launched an offensive, tens of thousands of refugees fled toward the Turkish border.

On the 28th (local time), the Syrian government and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group on the Syrian civil war, announced that the Syrian government forces had entered Maaret al-Numan. Previously, the Syrian government forces and Russian troops had besieged the area for months and carried out bombardments.

Syrian refugees fleeing the government forces' offensive
[Photo by AP Yonhap News]

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights estimated that up to 120,000 residents had left the area since mid-January. Earlier, Russia and Turkey had agreed to a ceasefire in 2018, but the civil war has intensified again this year.

An aid organization official who refused to disclose their exact affiliation released a video of the destruction on social networking services (SNS), stating, "Maaret al-Numan has been completely destroyed," and added, "The residents who lived here have become refugees, facing an uncertain situation with an unknown outcome."

Through this attack, the Syrian government has gained control over key areas of the M5 highway, which has served as the main artery of the Syrian economy. Moreover, Maaret al-Numan holds significance as one of the main strongholds of the Syrian rebel resistance since the Arab Spring in 2011. For the Syrian government forces, only a few steps remain until they achieve full control over the entire Syrian territory. Al Jazeera emphasized, "With the fall of Maaret al-Numan, the Syrian government forces have taken one step closer to regaining all regions of Syria."

An offensive by the Syrian government forces has also begun in Aleppo in northern Syria. The western part of Aleppo, the second most populous city in Syria, is controlled by the rebels. The Syrian government forces have launched military operations to drive out the rebels in the Aleppo area as well.

Syrian government forces Photo by AP Yonhap News

The international community is concerned that the Syrian government forces' offensive will lead to a humanitarian disaster. Refugees fleeing from the government forces are gathering in the Idlib area in northern Syria, which is controlled by the rebels. The population of this area has already increased from 1 million before the war to 3 million. In the past nine months alone, 750,000 refugees have fled to this area. The refugees left their homes to escape arrest, torture, and other abuses by the government forces.

Regarding the situation in the Syrian civil war, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an, who has supported the rebels, spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump on the 27th. The two leaders announced that they "agreed that military actions must be halted."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.