At least nine Syrian soldiers were killed today in the northwest of the country during an attack by the main jihadist group, three of whose fighters were also killed, a non-governmental organization said.

It is the second major attack against government forces by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, which controls part of the rebels’ last stronghold in Syria.

“Nine soldiers were killed and a dozen others were wounded when HTS fighters stormed a Syrian army position in the Mount Akrant district, north of Lattakia,” Syrian Observatory for Human Rights director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.

Three jihadists strapped with explosives were killed carrying out the attack with heavy weapons, added the head of the NGO, which is based in Britain but has a large network of sources in the war-torn country.

On August 26, 11 Syrian soldiers were killed during a major attack launched by two jihadist groups allied to HTS in the neighboring Jabal al-Zawiya district.

The HTS group, which originated from al-Qaeda’s former branch in Syria, controls the armed opposition’s last bastion in northeastern Syria, which includes much of Idlib province and bordering areas of Aleppo, Hama and Latakia provinces.

A ceasefire is in place in the Idlib region following negotiations between Russia and Turkey and an operation by government forces in March 2020. The ceasefire is generally being observed despite repeated violations.

In recent weeks, bombardment of the region has escalated, mainly by the Russian air force, an ally of Damascus, in response to HTS attacks, sometimes with drones, against areas controlled by the Syrian army in northwestern Syria.

Backed by Moscow and Tehran, Syrian government forces have recaptured most of the territory they lost at the start of the war, which broke out in 2011 due to a crackdown on pro-democracy protests.

The war in Syria has already claimed more than 500,000 lives and displaced millions.