Tahrir al-Sham made a surprise attempt Sunday (April 15th) to storm and seize control of the north-western Syrian city of Maarat al-Numan, breaking a truce with the Syrian Liberation Front that had held for just a few days.

The attack began at dawn Sunday, with fighting continuing until the evening hours, Maarat al-Numan activist Hani al-Numan told Diyaruna.

With the assault on the Idlib province city, Tahrir al-Sham broke a truce it had agreed upon with the Syrian Liberation Front, a new alliance that includes Nureddine al-Zinki, Ahrar al-Sham and other opposition factions.

The offensive ignited battles on the city’s outskirts that continued until evening, with Syrian Liberation Front fighters blocking a Tahrir al-Sham advance.

"The assault was Tahrir al-Sham's most violent to date, with the group using armoured vehicles, tanks and heavy artillery," al-Numan said.

Fighting was fiercest on the city's eastern, northern and southern outskirts, he added, especially at the electricity and water facilities and al-Naoura checkpoint.

According to local sources, Tahrir al-Sham lost more than 25 of its fighters in the battles, while dozens more were wounded and a number were captured by the Syrian Liberation Front, al-Numan said.

The Syrian Liberation Front lost three fighters during the battles.

One civilian from Maarat al-Numan was killed and 10 others were wounded, and they are currently receiving treatment inside the city, he said.

Residents refuse to be subjugated

"Maarat al-Numan residents have already announced their refusal to submit to the rule of Tahrir al-Sham, which has attempted to control the local council and all service and financial institutions," al-Numan said.

This move was an attempt to subjugate the city’s residents and impose taxes on them, he said, adding that the city is in consensus over its stance on this issue.

With regard to the ongoing fighting, he said that "although the Syrian Liberation Front is providing support, it is the city’s residents who are doing the fighting in defence of their city".

The attack on Maarat al-Numan was carried out in conjunction with a Tahrir al-Sham assault in southern rural Idlib, he noted.

This ended with the alliance seizing control of the Morak crossing, the city of Khan Sheikhun and the towns of Sheikh Mustafa, Moqa, Kafr Ain, Hish, Sahyan, Sheikh Dames, Kafr Mazda, Madaya and al-Ameriyeh.

Tahrir al-Sham is still locked in fierce combat with the Syrian Liberation Front on the outskirts of Tal Aas, al-Numan added.