Demonstrations against Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in Idlib and western Aleppo
Northwestern Syria – North-Press Agency
The Syrian government forces has re-violated the ongoing cease-fire truce in Idlib, in conjunction with a heated debate between the demonstrators in different controlled areas by the armed opposition groups and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), previously known as al-Nusra Front and its supporters.
On Tuesday morning, the Syrian army targeted areas in the town of Tal Mines in southern Idlib countryside causing material damage, amid the absence of the war planes in the airspace of the region.
On the other hand, Idlib governorate has witnessed night demonstrations in the areas of Maarat al-Numan, Ariha and Kafr Takharim in southern Idlib countryside, and in the town of Atareb in western Aleppo countryside, which included hundreds of people who condemn Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, its practices and its group leader, Abu Muhammad al-Jolani.
The demonstrators joined with the town of Saraqeb in eastern Idlib countryside that preceded them in demonstrating against HTS which they called “the destruction of al-sham” during their demonstrations, while they carried slogans accusing the Salafi Jihadi group and its leader al-Jolani of handing over the opposition areas to the Syrian army. A banner was raised in Maarat al-Numan describing al-Jolani as a follower of Iran.
While in the town Atareb in western Aleppo countryside, the demonstrators deliberately threw stones at the headquarters of HTS, while members of the group responded by shot guns, which provoked the residents and the demonstrators and increased the intensity of the demonstrations.
Meanwhile, pro-HTS and other Islamist armed groups, which include fighters and leaders from non-Syrian nationalities have warned local people of going out in demonstrations against these groups.
The pro-HTS said that any demonstration against any military group would be considered as a support for the enemy and that these demonstrations call for the entry of the Syrian, Russian and Iranian forces into the region; in addition, they stressed that the demonstrators would be treated as “traitors and spies of the Syrian regime”.
It is noteworthy that the Syrian army had recently seized large areas in southern Idlib countryside and northern Hama countryside, including Khan Sheikhoun, al-Tamanah, Lataminah, Morek, and Kafr Zita after the complete withdrawal of the armed opposition groups including Hayat Tahrir al-Sham HTS, the Turkistan Islamic Party and some other groups.