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Key Syrian airbase in Idlib province falls to rebels

The base was the syrian military's last stronghold in the region.

By Ed Adamczyk
Rebel fighter are seen May 19 during clashes with the Syrian regime army in Mastouma, in Idlib City, Syria. File photo by Radwan Homsy/UPI
Rebel fighter are seen May 19 during clashes with the Syrian regime army in Mastouma, in Idlib City, Syria. File photo by Radwan Homsy/UPI | License Photo

DAMASCUS, Syria, Sept. 10 (UPI) -- A vital strategic airbase in Idlib province, Syria, was overtaken by the Nusra Front, the rebel group announced.

Abu al-Duhur airbase, the government's last remaining major position in the northwestern province, had been under attack by the al-Qaida-aligned group for more than two years before Wednesday's announcement. Nusra, fighting in a coalition of militias against the Syrian government, also said it killed more than 100 government troops and captured 60 more, as well as a large cache of weapons.

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The rebels now control almost the entire province, which borders Turkey, with the Syrian army completely driven out, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

A week-long dust storm in the region aided the assault, forcing the grounding of Syrian Air Force aircraft. Syrian state television admitted government troops "evacuated their positions and moved to another point."

Though the development can be seen as another blow to the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad, lost territory in Syria is now held by a variety of groups, some of which are opposed to each other.

The rebels' success at the Abu al-Duhur airbase, though, was a coalition effort organized under a unifying mission called "Army of Conquest," funded with a new receipt of cash and weapons from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar.

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Except for several Shia villages in Idlib province, held by pro-government militias and Lebanon's Hezbollah, the Syrian army has essentially been driven from the province.

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