Late on November 2, warplanes of the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) carried out a series of mock airstrikes over the western and northern countryside of Syria’s Aleppo.
At least five loud and bright explosions were reported in the sky over the towns and villages of Kabashin, Sheikh Suleiman, Fafirtin, Darat Izza and Kafr Taal, which are occupied by Turkish-backed militants and al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).
The FOTAB 100-80 flash bomb, which is designed to produce an instant intense bright flash, are usually used to carry out such mock airstrikes. The bomb has a burning time of 2.2 to 3.5 minutes and a light intensity of 22,000 to 700,000 candlepower.
The mock airstrikes came just a few hours after an attack that targeted Syrian Arab Army troops in the western Aleppo countryside. Militants of the Turkish-backed National Front for Liberation targeted a vehicle of the army near the town of al-Shekh Aqeel with an anti-tank guided missile, killing or wounding several soldiers. The attack was a blatant violation of a ceasefire that was brokered by Russia and Turkey more than two years ago.
The airstrikes were likely meant as a warning to Turkish-backed militants, or even to HTS, which recently expanded its influence from the Greater Idlib region into Turkish-occupied areas in the northern Aleppo countryside in defiance of a Russian-Turkish de-escalation agreement.
Despite ongoing efforts by Turkey, HTS is yet to pull all of its militants from the region. The area of Afrin is now under the de-facto control of the terrorist group.
Russia usually follows its warnings with actions. The attempts by Turkish-backed militants and HTS to undermine the Russian-Turkish agreements governing the northern and northwestern countryside of Aleppo will not likely go without a response.
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