Syrian Army Uncovers Secret Underground Al Qaeda Operations Headquarters Amid Northward Counterterrorism Operations

Amid an ongoing offensive to recapture northwestern Syrian territory, which is currently controlled by a number of Al Qaeda linked Islamist militant groups, the Syrian armed forces have reported the uncovering of a heavily fortified underground headquarters used by the jihadists. The headquarters were used by Jabhat Al Nusra, a leading Al Qaeda affiliate and one of the most prominent terror groups operating in Idlib. The underground complex spans approximately 1,000 square metres across two floors, and is centred under the building of the Maarat Al Numan city museum.Walls were made of reinforced concrete in order to withstand bombardments or shelling by Syrian forces, and it is expected that similar and likely much larger fortifications will be found as the Army presses further into Idlib province where jihadist militants have been entrenching themselves for many years.

It is expected that Syrian forces will encoder further similar fortifications, possibly on a much larger scale, as more ground is recovered from militant groups. Syrian media has since the beginning of February reported the discovery of underground structures, trenches and caves in the nearby Babila village and town of Khan Al Subol. Idlib has been referred to in U.S. reports as the world's largest Al Qaeda safe haven since 2001, with militants entrenched there having received considerable armaments, supplies and other support from neighbouring Turkey. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pledged on February 4th that Ankara would move to stop Syrian recovery of its territory from militant control - with Turkey having deployed ground forces and carried out air and artillery strikes in an attempt to stop the Syrian advance. The Turkish military presence on Syrian territory has been widely condemned internationally and represents a violation of international law. The presence of jihadist militants in some parts of northwestern Syria has been continuous since 2012, with the bulk of militants entering the country through Turkey. Idlib remains the final major front of Syria's nine year war, and has been frozen in a low intensity stalemate for over a year.