Islamic State and al-Nusra Front jihadists were on the brink of capturing Syria’s second city as hundreds of militants assailed the newly appointed governor’s office in Idlib, the provincial capital, according to a news report.
On Oct. 27, International Business Times (IBT) reported that as many as 70 Syrian senior army officers were decapitated by the militants before the Assad forces could take back the governor’s building and save Idlib.
“They were slaughtered,” read a message to Damascus, IBT reported.
Although jihadists from the al-Nusra Front, also known as Jabhat al-Nusra, were involved in the attack, the Assad regime considers all its enemies a part of the Islamic State group, added the news report.
Al-Nusra Front is al-Qaeda’s official Syrian offshoot.
The beheadings were carried out with a knife, which is the usual ISIS-style, noted IBT.
If the jihadist would have seized Idlib, it would have been a major loss for the Assad regime. Idlib is strategically located between Aleppo and the coastal city ofLatakia, both of which are controlled by Assad forces.
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