Chechen militants flee HTS in northern Syria, head to Ukraine
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Chechen militants left northern Syria and headed to Ukraine, fleeing the crackdown led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS, formerly al-Nusra Front), with the aim to fight against Russian forces there.
In a report, al-Monitor said, citing a source from Syrian opposition factions, that Abdul Hakim al-Shishani, the commander and 25 other militants of Ajnad al-Kavkaz, a Chechen-led Islamic rebel group, left northern Syria, as they were fighting Syrian Government Forces alongside the opposition, and headed towards Ukraine to fight Russian troops.
The aforementioned group’s main goal was fighting “the Syrian regime forces” in Latakia Governorate, northwestern Syria, al-Monitor added, citing an Idlib-based journalist.
More commanders may leave Idlib to Ukraine to escape the HTS’ crackdown and to seek revenge against Russia, according to the source.
The Ajnad al-Kavkaz group left Idlib after coordinating with military groups fighting against the Russians alongside Ukrainian forces in Ukraine.
“Many of us, especially people who have a track record of problems with HTS leaders, left Syria for Ukraine, as these have recently been subjected to severe harassment on the part of HTS’ leadership,” the source added, quoting a commander in the Ajnad al-Kavkaz group.
“We go to Ukraine to fight the Russians who killed and committed the most heinous crimes against our people in the 1990s,” the commander added.
The HTS, which was established in 2017, runs vast swaths in the countryside of Idlib and parts of Aleppo, Hama and Latakia. It runs the aforementioned areas through the civil wing, the Interim Government, which controls all aspects of life there.
In 2018, the United States classified the HTS, led by Abu Mohammad al-Julani, and every faction affiliated with it, as a terrorist organization.
The United States listed al-Jolani as a specially designated global terrorist in 2013. In 2020, US State Department Reward for Justice Program offered a reward of $10 million for information leading to his arrest.