DAMASCUS, May 12 (Xinhua) -- The Turkish forces in northern Syria have prevented displaced Syrians in Hama province from entering the Afrin enclave near the Turkish border, pro-government al-Watan newspaper said on Sunday.
The Turkish forces did not allow the civilians fleeing the battles between the rebels and the Syrian army from entering Afrin, which is under the Turkish control in the northern countryside of Aleppo, the report said.
It said that the Turkish forces allowed Turkey-backed rebels of the Ahrar al-Sham Movement to reach areas controlled by the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front to support the later in confronting the Syrian Army's offensive in the northern countryside of Hama and the southern countryside of Idlib Province.
Citing local sources, al-Watan said that tens of truckloads of militants from Ahrar al-Sham were sent from Afrin to Idlib and the northern countryside of Hama in a bid to slow down the progress of the Syrian army.
It added that the Ahrar al-Sham militants have deployed to the frontline areas.
Areas in the countryside of Hama, Idlib and the western countryside of Aleppo are included in the de-escalation zones deal which was reached between Russia and Turkey in September 2018.
The deal failed to materialize as the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the umbrella group of the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front, expanded in Idlib and started attacks on Syrian military positions instead of withdrawing from the designated zone which combines Idlib with Hama and Aleppo countryside.
