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At least three militants from the southern governorate of Daraa were killed in a Syrian airstrike on a terrorist hideout in the outskirt of the town of Arihah in western Idlib on May 30.
Local sources identified the slain militants as Abu Abdullah al-Riyabi, Abu Omar al-Qaraizah and Abu Hamza Nawa. The three are reportedly fighters in the ranks of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) the former branch of al-Qaeda in Syria.
Hundreds of Daraa militants opted to withdraw to Idlib last year following the successful Syrian Arab Army (SAA) operation in southern Syria. The evacuation process lasted for several weeks.
According to the Enab Baladi news outlet, at least seven militants from Daraa were killed by the SAA in Idlib this month only.
While some militants chose to leave and join terrorist groups in northern Syria, thousands of Free Syrian Army (FSA) fighters remained in the southern region and joined the reconciliation process. Some of these fighters are currently supporting the army’s operations around Idlib.
