Militants from the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham* terrorist group have conducted numerous attacks in the Syrian provinces of Idlib and Hama, Rear Admiral Alexander Shcherbitskiy, the head of the Russian Defence Ministry's centre for Syrian reconciliation, said on Tuesday, EDNews.net reports citing Sputnik.
An explosive device planted under the vehicle detonated when the patrol car was turning back. Shcherbitskiy noted that no one was hurt and the servicemen returned safely to the base. He added that there had not been any confirmed attacks by the armed groups controlled by Turkey.
On 5 March, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, agreed on a ceasefire in Idlib, which started at midnight. The sides also agreed to create a security corridor six kilometres (3.7 miles) north and south of the M4 highway in Syria, which connects the provinces of Latakia and Aleppo. Under the ceasefire agreement, Moscow and Ankara conduct joint patrols along the M4 highway, which is currently controlled by militants.
Militants remain in control of a small pocket of the Idlib province in northwest Syria.
