Battle for Syria's Idlib Costs at Least 68 Lives

Islamist fighters have seized 17 checkpoints from Syrian regime forces in clashes around the city of Idlib that have cost at least 68 lives in 48 hours, a monitor said Thursday.

"The government and its supporting forces have lost 17 checkpoints and regime locations to the Al-Nusra Front and other Islamist groups in and around Idlib" in the country's northwest, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. 

The clashes come as part of a new offensive launched Tuesday by Islamist groups led by al-Qaida affiliate, the Al-Nusra Front, on the regime-held city of Idlib. 

Calling themselves "The Army of Conquest," the new Islamist coalition issued a statement Tuesday on Twitter saying it was preparing for "the invasion of Idlib" in order "to liberate this good city."

Citing eyewitnesses in the city, the Observatory said heavy shelling by the Islamist fighters had forced "regime forces to erect new checkpoints and barricades in Idlib city".

"The violent clashes are ongoing for a third continuous day, and the regime and (pro-government militia) National Defence Forces are trying to regain the initiative despite the severity of the offensive," the Observatory said. 

Idlib province is largely under the control of Al-Nusra, but the provincial capital Idlib city remains in regime hands.

It would be only the second provincial capital to fall from regime control after Raqa, which is now the de facto capital of the Islamic State jihadist group.

Since Tuesday, the clashes have left at least 37 Islamist militants and 31 fighters from pro-regime forces dead, the Britain-based Observatory said. 

Among those killed was Abu Jamil al-Qutb, the second-in-command of Ahrar al-Sham, one of the first armed groups in Syria's conflict and a major part of the new "Army of Conquest" coalition.  

Ahrar al-Sham published a video Thursday addressed to "our people and the mujahedeen in the city of Idlib." 

In it, the group's religious guide Abu Mohammad al-Sadeq called on fighters to join them and for residents to stay indoors during the offensive.  

Government forces also control the Idlib towns of Jisr al-Shughur and Ariha, Abu Duhur military airport and five military bases in the province.

More than 215,000 people have been killed in Syria's four-year conflict and around half the country's population has been displaced.