In cooperation with Russian forces, the Syrian regime took control of the strategically important Kızıldağ region on Thursday morning, an area located in the Bayırbucak region populated mostly by Turkmens, after intense clashes with a Turkmen militia, according to local reports.Sources said that the regime's ground offensive had commenced Wednesday evening, with tanks marching through the area and heavy firing from cannons, as Russia contributed to the strikes with air offensives and missiles fired from the sea. It is also reported that almost 4,000 Turkmens, all civilians, fled from the 24 villages in the region for the village of Yamadi in Latakia, where living conditions are deplorable. Turkmen fighters, lacking in defensive resources to resist operations, reported that eight of their fighters were injured and brought to hospitals in the Yayladağı district of Hatay. Kızıldağ is located 5 kilometers from the Turkish border and plays a crucial role in the fight. Syrian regime forces have accelerated operations in the Turkmen region, reportedly with the support of Iranian, Iraqi, Afghan and Lebanese fighter jets as well as the Russian air force.