By Hani Salem
IDLIB, Syria (North Press) – Since June 18, areas under the control of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS- al-Nusra Front) in northwest Syria, have witnessed the greatest security campaign since July 2017 when the group seized the region. Turkish Intelligence has a main role in this campaign that included security, administrative, military, and media institutions.
Views vary regarding the motivation behind the campaign, with some speculating that it was initiated to suppress the group’s opponents, while others believe it was in response to a significant security breach within the largest militia operating in opposition-held areas.
According to military sources, the campaign is about to end after detaining 390 militants and a leader within the HTS’ General Security Apparatus, in addition to officials in the Salvation Government, the political and civil wing of the HTS.
Intelligence Files
Abdulrazzaq al-Asfari, who works in Ministry of Interior Affairs of the HTS, told North Press that the campaign was initiated based on intelligence files that Turkish Intelligence have handed at the beginning of June to Abu Maria al-Qahtani, the head of HTS’ General Security Apparatus.
Based on information, he said, it has been reported that leaders, members, employees, and military personnel within the HTS have been working as agents for various entities including the US-led Global Coalition, Russian forces, and Syrian government forces. Following bilateral discussions with Abu Mohammad al-Julani, the overall leader of the HTS, the Turkish intelligence decided to establish a small operations room. This operations room includes al-Julani, al-Qahtani, Abd al-Raheem Atwan, the religious leader of the HTS, as well as other HTS leaders such as Abu Ahmad Hadood, the chairman of all crossings, and Abu Ahmad Zakoor, the chairman of finance affairs of the HTS.
Al-Asfari added, “After the formation of the operations room on June 10, specific action plans were devised. Arrests commenced promptly, targeting individuals within the General Security Apparatus and HTS-affiliated military formations, without any prior summons. The arrests also targeted officials responsible for security studies and security coordination in areas such as Atme, Sarmada, Idlib city, and Jisr al-Shughur. Additionally, military leaders within the Resistance Brigades, Ali ibn Abi Talib Brigade, and Ansar al-Tawhid, all affiliated with HTS, were also captured.”
In addition, the arrests included the chairman of Idlib Post TV channel, affiliated with the HTS’s Media Center, in addition to four other employees. Workers in the Civil Affairs Directorate, Ministry of Justice, Criminal Security, and the Zakat Committee were not spared from these arrests.
These arrests have negatively affected the HTS, because they froze the Shoura Council of the HTS and replaced it with the operations room. This is because al-Julani and al-Qahtani did not trust leaders and chairmen who work in HTS’ military and civil institutions.
Fake Campaign
For his part, the former leader of the Resistance Brigades of the HTS, Abu Qasem Tel Hadya, said that “no one in northern Syria believes the claims of this campaign. It is clear that there is a systematic elimination of dissent within the ranks of the HTS, serving the agendas of al-Julani and al-Qahtani. It is worth noting that the majority of those detained are supporters of Hizb ut-Tahrir [an Islamist party opposed to HTS].”
According to the former leader, al-Julani’s campaign came after a month of its campaign against leaders and staff of Hizb ut-Tahrir in Idlib and its countryside. Launching the recent campaign under the slogan ‘Counterintelligence’ serves as a mere pretext to justify these arrests. By accusing individuals of being agents for the Coalition and Russian forces, any inquiry or investigation into the detained individuals becomes prohibited, as it is perceived as a matter of grave security concern.”
He added that executions targeting some detainees within the HTS prisons, “only serve as confirmation that this is a campaign of revenge and a response to the opposition’s criticism of al-Julani’s leadership in the region.”
According sources in the General Security Apparatus, the campaign will continue until August 20, given that investigations with detainees are still actively underway.
The source emphasized that there are significant changes taking place within the HTS’ security structure under the directives of Abu Maria al-Qahtani. These changes have already been implemented in areas such as Atme, al-Dana, Sarmada, Harem, and Selqin. In the coming days, further security adjustments are expected to be made in Idlib city and its surroundings, Jisr al-Shughur, as well as the region of Zawiya Mountain (Jabal al-Zawiya) in southern Idlib. These changes reflect a strategic reorganization of the HTS’ security structure.