Bernd
10/26/2022 (Wed) 01:54
No.49094
del
>>49056>Do you have a rundown of who is who on this new (old) front?There's a huge number of rebel groups but it boils down to HTS controlling greater Idlib and Turkey controlling Afrin-Azaz-Al Bab through the SNA. It seems HTS took advantage of the endless feuds within the SNA to intervene:
https://syriadirect.org/is-hayat-tahrir-al-sham-withdrawing-from-the-aleppo-countryside-or-staying-in-the-shadows/>On October 11, HTS intervened militarily in clashes between Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) in the northern Aleppo countryside. The Idlib-based faction entered the fray on behalf of the Hamza Division (locally known as al-Hamzat) alongside the Sultan Suleiman Shah Division (al-Amshat). The Hamza Division was under attack by the SNA’s Third Legion, which began clashing with it after it was implicated in the assassination of media activist Muhammad Abdul Latif (Abu Ghannoum) and his wife in al-Bab city on October 7. Turkey finally intervened:
> Turkish military leadership gave Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) until Friday evening to fully withdraw its security and military forces from territories in the northern Aleppo area of Afrin and its countryside that the hardline faction entered last week, local media reported. Turkish forces have also reportedly visited several checkpoints in the Afrin area to compel HTS members to leave for Idlib. >But one HTS military source denied there was any Turkish deadline, telling Syria Direct that the faction itself has withdrawn a large portion of its forces, and “is still withdrawing new forces” that participated in the Aleppo countryside operation.<there totally hasn't been an ultimatum to withdraw. By the way, we're withdrawing.Yet according to the article, HTS is still in Afrin, just keeping a low profile, which makes its control ambiguous.
Now Turkey apparently wants to discipline and reorganize the SNA. Why haven't they done this before?
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/syria-turkey-reorganise-rebel-groups-hts-withdraws-afrin?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=Social_Traffic&utm_content=ap_svxsfng7i0