Idlib Governorate clashes (September 2011 – March 2012)

September 2011 – March 2012 Idlib Governorate clashes
	Part of the Early insurgency phase of the Syrian Civil War
	; Map of Idlib Governorate
Date	8 September 2011 – 27 March 2012; (6 months, 2 weeks and 5 days)
Location	Idlib Governorate, Syria
Result	Syrian opposition victory Government forces launched counter-offensive; FSA takes control of Saraqib, Binnish, Sarmin, Ariha, Zardana, al-Bara and Taftanaz;
Belligerents
Syrian Opposition Free Syrian Army; Ahrar al-Sham; Al-Nusra Front; Free Officers Movement (until 23 September 2011, when it joined the FSA); ;	Syrian Government
Commanders and leaders
Muhammad Issa (Syrian Liberation Army) Capt. Yusuf Yahya (Martyrs of Mount Zawiya Battalion and Lightning Battalion); Jamal Maarouf (Martyrs of Mount Zawiya Battalion); Lt. Alaa Hussein (Martyrs of Mount Zawiya Battalion); Ahmad Issa al-Sheikh (Suqour al-Sham Battalion); Hassan Aboud (David Battalion); Abdul Rahman al-Suri (Ahrar ash-Sham Brigades)	Maj. Gen. Fo'ad Hamoudeh; Brig. Gen. Ghassan Afif; Brig. Gen. Ghanem Ibrahim al-Hassan †
Units involved
Free Syrian Army Syrian Liberation Army; Martyrs of Mount Zawiya Battalion (Harmoush Battalion until December 2011); Lightning Battalion; Suqour al-Sham Battalion David Battalion; ; ;	Syrian Armed Forces Syrian Army 1st Armoured Division 76th Armoured Brigade; ; 5th Mechanized Division; 10th Mechanized Division 85th Armoured Brigade; ; 11th Armoured Division; 15th Special Forces Division 35th SF regiment; ; 41st SF regiment; 45th SF regiment; ; Syrian Air Force; ;
Strength
25,000 fighters 2,500 - 3,000 Al-Nusra fighters; 2,000-3,000 fighters (Jabal al-Zawiya area); 1,000 fighters ; (Idlib city); ;	9,000 soldiers; 250 tanks
Casualties and losses
806 opposition fighters and defectors killed; (opposition claims)	Unknown

The September 2011 – March 2012 Idlib Governorate clashes were the violent incidents that took place in Idlib Governorate, a province of Syria, from September 2011 and prior to the April 2012 Idlib Governorate Operation.

The Free Syrian Army had been targeting Syrian Army military patrols in the governorate since October 2011. Protests had still continued in this governorate, but they were often dispersed with gunfire by security forces. On 19 December, it became clear that "Army defectors have taken control over some towns and villages, almost as though they have created some sort of safe area, where protesters from other regions were seeking a safe haven and where defectors were able to operate from", and Syrian Army forces launched an offensive on one area, massacring a large number of civilians in one village. Hundreds of troops have been filmed after switching sides in one village in the province's countryside, prompting residents to hoist a flag of independence.