Turkey seeks to merge al-Nusra and National Army in Syria’s Idlib
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Turkey intends to deploy in the southern countryside of Idlib, where Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS, formerly al-Nusra Front) is present. Turkish-backed informed sources in Idlib said.
The planned deployment will be in the southern countryside of Idlib along the M4 Highway, where the HTS controls the contact lines with the government forces, according to the sources.
However, the HTS has not yet commented on the matter.
Turkey’s new attempts over the de-escalation zone and M4 Highway at this time in particular, are nothing but a maneuver by Erdogan’s regime aimed at suggesting that it is one of the outcomes of the Sochi summit, which satisfies Russia, according to the sources.
In late September, the Russian and Turkish presidents concluded talks on limiting the resurgence of violence in northwest Syria and the possibility of expanding the sales of Russian air defense systems to Ankara despite US warnings.
Previous statements by leaders of the opposition Syrian National Army (SNA) stated that they will soon deploy in Idlib, after months of talk about the possibility of a merger between the SNA and the HTS.
On September 9, five factions of the Turkish-backed opposition SNA in northwest Syria announced their merging into a new formation called the Syrian Front for Liberation.
The new formation, which was announced through an official statement, includes the factions of the Sultan Suleiman Shah Division, al-Hamza Division, al-Mu’tasem Division, Suqour al-Sham Division, and the 20th Division.
The sources believes that it is impossible for Russia to accept such solutions that circumvent the terms of bilateral agreements.
Russia calls for the neutralization of the radical and terrorist groups in Idlib, including the HTS. It also calls for the M4 Highway to be under the control of the Syrian government.