Illustrative image.
On February 10, security personnel of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the Syrian affiliate of al-Qaeda, shot a woman in the head for attempting to smuggle a few liters of fuel from the Turkish-occupied area of Afrin to the region of Greater Idlib.
The incident took place near the HTS-run Dayr Balut checkpoint that is located on the separation line between Greater Idlib and Afrin.
The shooting left the woman, 28-year old Fatima Abdel Rahman al-Hamid, fatally wounded. In protest, the residents of a refugee camp where the woman was living with her children attacked Dayr Balut checkpoint.
سكان مخيم #أطمة يهاجمون عدة حواجز لهيئة تحرير الشام ويحرقون عدداً من الكرفانات والدراجات النارية وذلك على إثر إطلاقهم النار على امرأة نازحة
(أرملة ولديها 4 أطفال أيتام ) كانت تقوم بنقل مادة المازوت من منطقة #دير_بلوط إلى منطقة أطمة بريف #إدلب الشمالي. pic.twitter.com/huLzPgkxeh— 🇩🇿♥️🇵🇸بريق الحياة (@Hsbii_Allah) February 10, 2022
The protesters, who were met with live fire from HTS security personnel, managed to burn the checkpoint’s barracks along with three motorcycles. At least one of the protesters was wounded during the confrontation.
فيديو من بلدة اطمة على الحدود السورية التركية يظهر اصوات الاشتباك في المنطقة بعد مقتل إمراة بالقرب من معبر دير بلوط بريف ادلب pic.twitter.com/Qu89C45ZDm
— IZZ ALDIN ALQASEM (@azaldenalkasem1) February 10, 2022
مباشر الآن دير بلوط
أهالي المخيمات تحت الرصاص الكثيف الآن بعد قتل عصابات أردوغان هتش للمرأة الأرملة pic.twitter.com/DIFTT9vQyk
— ملك السلطنه (@jamlyyyyy_) February 10, 2022
عاجل|| إصابة أمرأة في رأسها برصاص عناصر “هيئة تحرير الشام” بالقرب من معبر دير بلوط بريف حلب ،اندلعت على إثرها احتجاجات من أهلي المخيمات المجاورة، أدت لاصابة شاب برصاص عناصر الهيئة أيضاً pic.twitter.com/iyZtbq6G2s
— أحمد سويد أبو حمزة (@ahmads2021) February 10, 2022
The incident led to a backlash in Greater Idlib against HTS who just a week earlier sit and watched as US special forces landed in the town of Atimah, located right next to Dayr Balut, to attack and kill ISIS leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi.
HTS has reportedly opened an investigation in the incident. The terrorist group is already blaming the victim, a single mother who was reportedly trying to make some money just to buy bread for her four children.
#معبر_دير_بلوط pic.twitter.com/OuNFOgatWL
— أبو الآءالمعري-ادلب (@mhmadtr) February 10, 2022
What happened was not surprising, however. In September of last year, HTS security personnel arrested three children for smuggling cigarettes from Afrin to Greater Idlib.
HTS maintains a strict monopoly over all economic sectors in Greater Idlib. The terrorist group, which is led by wanted terrorist Abu Mohamad al-Julani, continues to rule over the entire region with an iron fist despite Turkey’s large military presence there.