Early on June 14, the Russian Aerospace Forces reportedly carried out airstrikes on positions of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham near the villages of al-Bara and Deir Sunbul in southern Idlib. Since the signing of the new de-escalation agreement with Turkey on March 5, the Russian military has halted active operations in Greater Idlib. Nonetheless, it continued isolated precise strikes on high value terrorist targets.
The June 14 airstrikes followed the creation of a new coalition by several al-Qaeda-linked groups operating in the region: Horas al-Din, Ansar al-Din, Ansar al-Islam, Liwa al-Muqatlin al-Ansar and Tansiqiyat al-Jihad. The coalition, dubbed “Fa Ithbatu”, is in fact an expanded variant of another al-Qaeda-linked coalition, Ghurfat Eamaliat wa-Harid al-Mu’minin. This very faction recently conducted a large attack on Syrian Army positions near Tanjarah and Fattirah killing several soldiers and destroying at least one BMP infantry fighting vehicle.
Therefore, despite the claims of pro-militant propaganda that militant groups are uniting their forces in order to fight back the possible aggression of the ‘bloody Assad regime’, the creation of Fa Ithbatulikely reveals preparations for more aggressive actions against government forces.
The Turkish leadership, which is also committed to pushing propaganda about the ‘evil Assad regime’, clearly understands the real situation on the ground. So, it has continued expanding the network of observation posts along the M4 highway in southern Idlib in an attempt to keep the situation under control. The most recent Turkish observation posts were created near the villages of Farkia, Bsanqul, Kafer Shalaya, Urum al-Jawz and Mareian. Nonetheless, even these extensive efforts did not allow Turkish forces to at least create the image of order in the so-called opposition-held area.
On June 13, fighting erupted between Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and a local armed group in the village of Salqin near the Turkish border. The conflict started after Hayat Tahrir al-Sham members assaulted a displaced civilian from Ma`arat al-Nu`man for setting a food stand near their shop. The fighting stopped only after Hayat Tahrir al-Sham deployed large reinforcements to the village. This was just the most recent incident in a long pattern of violence, which has been ongoing in the militant-held areas.
On June 14 and June 15, warplanes of the Syrian Air Force bombed ISIS hideouts near the town of Uqayribat in southeastern Hama. Last weekend, the Syrian Army, the National Defense Forces and Liwa al-Quds launched an anti-ISIS operation in the very same area. The operation came in response to ISIS attacks near the town on June 11 and June 12. However, it is unlikely that limited security operations in the desert area, which are being conducted by government forces, will fully remove the ISIS threat from the region.
it would be more accurate to describe these fundamentalist primitives as al amerikan
Why is SF so determined to associate HTS with all these other groups, they aren’t members of HTS at all [some of them were once], they’re actually all from Al Nusra Front or the Turkish backed Rouse the Believers Operation Room, and HTS and the other groups aren’t getting along at all, HTS is the group assassinating all these other terrorists mentioned in this article, they’re not helping them.
HTS are trading with the Syrian government and don’t want the highway reopened, but all the other groups want the highway reopened and also want HTS to stop trading with the Syrian government, HTS hasn’t been attacking any SAA positions for several months now, but all the other groups mentioned in the article have been attacking the SAA for several months or more, a week ago they even took over a government held town for a few hours.
So can you pick the difference, SF can’t, they seem to think HTS and all the others are one and the same, but from Assad’s perspective, they’re total opposites.
Does anyone ever bother to check some of the BS that SF publishes, if you do then you’ll understand this article is nothing but trash, it’s just innuendo and spin with no substance whatsoever, worse still it obstructs the real truth, I suggest people do some research on these groups that SF keep claiming are a part of HTS when they aren’t.
The Russians and Turks want to reopen the highway but HTS and the Syrian government don’t want to reopen the highway, that’s why SF can’t tell us the truth, and that why they keep IMPLYING HTS is the problem, but they’re not, it’s the groups Turkey supports that are the real problem, but SF refuses to tell us that, but some of us know the truth anyway.
HTS and Al Nusra Front are 2 different entities that belong to the Al Qaeda branch of the Muslim brotherhood, HTS is one big central organization with a few big member groups, and Al Nusra Front is an alliance of many different groups that don’t have a central controlling authority , and although HTS and Al Nusra are allied together, many of the groups that make up Al Nusra Front are opposed to HTS.
Most of the groups that SF mentions in this article belong to the Rouse the Believers Operation Room, they’re totally against any reconciliation with the Syrian government and have ignored all the Russian ceasefires, and more importantly they’re the ones who’ve been attacking the SAA in Hama just recently. And even though the Turkmenistan Islamic Party [TIP] belongs to HTS, it’s also a member of the Rouse the Believers Operation Room [RTBOR], so they have allegiances to both HTS and the Rouse the Believers Operation Room.
The National front for Liberation [NFL] is also a member of the RTBOR but they’re also members of Turkey’s legitimate [according to the Astana agreement] opposition forces, so they also have dual loyalties.
There are 3 important things to consider,
1, HTS is trading with the Syrian government and the Rouse the Believers Operation Room are totally opposed to this.
2, The Russians aren’t bombing HTS except for one group, the Turkmenistan Islamic Party, and that’s because they’re a member of the Rouse the Believers Operation Room, and all the other groups the Russians are actually bombing too now, are also all members of the Rouse the Believers Operation Room.
3, Assad announced on SANA he was going to develop the region of northern Hama and increase food production in the area, and now all the members of the Rouse the Believers Operation Room are consolidating their forces around the area Assad wants to develop, and making the region unsafe with constant attacks.
Not all terrorists are the same, some of them can actually be used to help Assad, and any of the terrorists that oppose the Turkish/US/UN supported government in Syria [the Syrian Interim government], are a lot better than the ones who do support it, [or maybe I should say not as bad].
Who would Assad much rather see take over the northern territories, the legitimate and internationally recognised and supported Turkish inspired Syrian Interim government, or the unrecognized HTS terrorist salvation government [which already controls 70% of Idlib] a government that no one recognises or supports, and the Astana agreement also designates as terrorist.
I know which group the SAA would prefer to deal with when the time comes, they’ll be able to boot the HTS government out with no opposition, but if the Turkish backed Interim government is in power, I don’t think the SAA will ever be able to kick them out.
Why is Assad doing trade deals with HTS, he’s not stupid, he’s doing deals for a reason, why do you think he is.
In Australia we have a prime minister.
You’re ignorance is astounding, I say that reopening the highway is bad for Syria because it will give both the Turks and the US more power, and you somehow contrive that to mean I’m pro US, can’t you understand simple english.
Assad is a pretty smart fellow because he’s actually doing trade deals with HTS, but people like you have no idea why he is, that’s why he’s a hell of a lot smarter than most SF subscribers, he knows exactly what he’s doing, and so do I.
You’re Russian mates are opening the door to both Turkey and the US and you’re cheering them on, keep cheering, but Assad isn’t, he’s still doing even more trade deals with HTS, and at the same time he’s bombing the hell out of the Turks proxies.