Russian military police enter Syria's Saraqeb

Units of the Russian military police have been deployed to the city of Saraqeb in the eastern countryside of Idlib province in northwestern Syria, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement Monday.

"Considering the importance of ensuring the security and unhampered movement of vehicles and civilians on M4-M5 highways, units of the Russian military police have been deployed to the city of Saraqeb, starting 17:00, March 2, 2020," the statement made available to Xinhua read.

The M4 highway connects Aleppo in northern Syria with Latakia in the northwest, while the M5 highway connects the Syrian capital Damascus in the south with Aleppo.

Earlier in the day, the Syrian army, backed by Russian airstrikes, succeeded in recapturing the strategic city of Saraqeb, four days after losing it to Turkish-backed rebel groups, said the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Tensions in Idlib have flared up recently as the Syrian government forces, which are launching wide-scale offensives against the rebels in the area, exchanged fire with Turkish troops, causing multiple deaths on both sides.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)