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Syrian troops repel militant attack in Hama governorate, about 100 militants killed

MOSCOW, May 27. /TASS/. About 100 Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (formerly known as Jabhat al-Nusra, a terrorist organization outlawed in Russia) militants have been killed and several units of their hardware have been destroyed by Syrian government troops in the north of the Syrian Hama governorate, Major General Viktor Kupchishin, chief of the Russian Center for Reconciliation of the Opposing Parties in Syria, said on Monday.

"Overnight to May 26, 2018, militants of the terrorist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (former Jabhat al-Nusra) and its allied groups staged simultaneous attacks from two directions at the positions of government forces near the settlement of Kafer Nbuda in the north of the Hama governorate. The attacks involved about 450 militants, seven tanks, five armored infantry carriers, and 12 all-terrain vehicles equipped with heavy machineguns. The attack was accompanied by shelling from three multiple missile launcher systems," he said.

"Repelling the attack, Syrian government troops destroyed three tanks, two multiple missile launcher systems, an infantry carrier, six all-terrain vehicles with heavy machineguns and killed about 100 militants," he said.

Apart from that, in his words, officers of the Russian reconciliation center conducted a humanitarian operation in the settlement of Maarrin in the Hama governorate and handed out 500 bags with food to local residents.

He also said that the Syrian authorities continue work to amnesty people dodging military service, including refugees and former members of illegal armed groups. Thus, as of May 26, 2019, as many as 58,024 people were amnestied, he added.

The Russian reconciliation center continues to fulfill assigned tasks after the completion of the military campaign in Syria. The center’s officers regularly travel around the country's liberated areas to assess the humanitarian situation. The main efforts of the Russian military are now focused on assistance to the refugees returning to their homes and evacuation of civilians from de-escalation zones.