Unknown individuals target Turkish-backed group’s headquarters, civilians kidnapped in Idlib

Syria/Military and Security Develpoments

North-Press Agency

At midnight on Tuesday –Wednesday, a military headquarters of the Turkish-backed Sham Legion group in the northern countryside of Idlib was attacked by unknown individuals, resulting in violent clashes between the two parties, in the latest development in the region’s security chaos.

A field source told North-Press that a group of armed men attacked the Sham Legion headquarters on the outskirts of the town of al-Foaa in the northern countryside of Idlib and targeted it with explosive shells.

Violent clashes took place between the gunmen and Sham Legion militants in the town, in conjunction with mutual shelling and gunfire, according to the source.

Sham Legion is part of the National Front for Liberation, and it plays a supporting role for Turkish forces in their movements in Idlib. It is subjected to the largest share of attacks whose perpetrators are still unknown.

In a related development, the source added that on midnight Tuesday- Wednesday, unknown armed individuals attacked a mechanic shop, stealing a pickup truck and kidnapping the shop owner and his workers in the village of Jozef in Mount al-Zawiya.

Last Monday, unknown individuals targeted a Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) checkpoint near the village of Yaqoubiya, near Jisir al-Shoghour in the western countryside of Idlib.

Yesterday, Tuesday, the “revolutionary councils” affiliated with armed groups in the town of Taftanaz and the surrounding villages issued a declaration prohibiting the wearing of the veil inside the villages and among civilians, threatening to target anyone who violates this decision.

The decision came on the backdrop of recent events in Idlib governorate, from frequent robberies that targeted the military headquarters Sham Legion and HTS to frequent theft and kidnappings taking place throughout the region.

A source from the region says that HTS is no longer able to control the chaos, despite the spread of its checkpoints in all areas on the main and sub streets.