Opposition repulses regime attack in NW Syria: Sources

By Erdal Turkoglu

HATAY, Turkey (AA) – Syrian opposition forces on Wednesday repulsed an attack by the Assad regime on the opposition-held Jabal al-Akrad region of Syria’s northwestern Lattakia province, local sources assert.

The sources, speaking anonymously due to security concerns, told Anadolu Agency that regime forces on Wednesday morning had launched a mortar attack on Lattakia’s Jabal al-Tuffahiya area.

Regime forces had then tried to advance on Jabal al-Akrad, the sources added, leading to violent clashes between regime troops and opposition forces.

Clashes continued until Wednesday afternoon, when regime forces were forced to withdraw after suffering substantial human and material losses, the same sources said.

Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests -- which had erupted as part of the "Arab Spring" uprisings -- with unexpected ferocity.

Since then, hundreds of thousands of people are believed to have been killed -- and millions displaced -- by the conflict, which pits the regime and its regional allies against several heavily-armed opposition groups.