Idlib may become vicious 'killing zone' in Assad's endgame
The Assad regime has rebels cornered in one area and may not be able to resist making it a killing zone, writes Dominic Waghorn.
Friday 7 September 2018 23:20, UK
Syria's devastating civil war may be approaching an endgame. If it is, the final battle could be its worst in terms of civilian casualties and human suffering.
Idlib has become a place of last resort. As other areas surrendered, many rebels and their civilian supporters were allowed safe passage there.
Its population has doubled to more than three million.
Among them many civilians and the entire range of rebel groups, from so-called moderates to al Qaeda-affiliated extremists.
The key point is this time when the joint Russian, Syrian and Iranian advance crushes resistance there is nowhere for those trapped in the province to go.
"There is no other Idlib", Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura told the UN.
Turkey is among the most concerned.
It has taken in millions of Syrian refugees and does not want a tide of millions more displaced from Idlib.
Its leader, Reccep Tayyip Erdogan, pushed hard for a ceasefire meeting with Russian and Iranian counterparts in Tehran. They insisted the priority is clearing the province of what they call terrorists.
It will not be easy. The mountainous terrain is challenging.
The presence of suicidal IS sleeper cells could wreak havoc on any military advance, as could the militants growing drone capability.
:: Offensive in Idlib could reach 'new levels of horrors'
And this time the rebels, in all their diverse strips, have one thing in common: they have their back to the wall and this will be a fight for their survival.
But the Assad regime knows this is an opportunity to snuff out the resistance against its rule once and for all.
It has its enemies corralled into one area and may not be able to resist the temptation to make it a killing zone.
Their Iranian allies are facing growing unrest about the amount of time and resources being wasted fighting another country's war. They want this settled quickly and decisively.
The stage is set for a vicious battle between determined adversaries.
Caught in the middle are more than three million civilians.
The Syrian civil war has given us myriad horrors. We may be about to witness many more.