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Idlib Governorate clashes (September 2011 – March 2012)
Syrian conflict battles / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The September 2011 – March 2012 Idlib Governorate clashes were the violent incidents that took place in Idlib Governorate, a province of Syria, from September 2011 and prior to the April 2012 Idlib Governorate Operation.
September 2011 – March 2012 Idlib Governorate clashes | |||||||
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Part of the Early insurgency phase of the Syrian Civil War | |||||||
![]() Map of Idlib Governorate | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
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Commanders and leaders | |||||||
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Maj. Gen. Fo'ad Hamoudeh Brig. Gen. Ghassan Afif Brig. Gen. Ghanem Ibrahim al-Hassan †[8] | ||||||
Units involved | |||||||
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Strength | |||||||
25,000 fighters[11] |
9,000 soldiers 250 tanks[17] | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
806 opposition fighters and defectors killed[18] (opposition claims) | Unknown |
The Free Syrian Army had been targeting Syrian Army military patrols in the governorate since October 2011.[citation needed] Protests had still continued in this governorate, but they were often dispersed with gunfire by security forces. On 19 December, it became clear that "Army defectors have taken control over some towns and villages, almost as though they have created some sort of safe area, where protesters from other regions were seeking a safe haven and where defectors were able to operate from", and Syrian Army forces launched an offensive on one area, massacring a large number of civilians in one village.[19] Hundreds of troops have been filmed after switching sides in one village in the province's countryside, prompting residents to hoist a flag of independence.[20]