Turkey, HTS send military reinforcements to Aleppo
Aleppo, Syria (North Press) – Turkish forces sent on Wednesday new military reinforcements to frontlines near the city of al-Atarib in the west of Aleppo, northwestern Syria, in tandem with reinforcements sent by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS, formerly al-Nusra Front) to the northern countryside of Aleppo.
A military source within the HTS told North Press that the Turkish reinforcements, 17 military vehicles and trucks, entered through the Kafr Lossin border crossing and headed to Turkish military posts near al-Atarib.
The source added that the trucks carried three IFV and artillery accompanied by military vehicles carrying Turkish forces. The reinforcements arrived at the Turkish base near al-Atarib.
These reinforcements came in tandem with missile and artillery shelling conducted by the Syrian government forces on sites in al-Atarib and Kafr Nouran in the western countryside of Aleppo, in addition to other locations in the southern and western countryside of Idlib.
These are the third reinforcements since early October sent to the southern and eastern countryside of Idlib all the way to the western countryside of Aleppo amid military escalation by the government forces in the countryside of Idlib.
On the other hand, HTS sent on Tuesday military reinforcements to their posts in Afrin and its countryside following tension between HTS and the Military Police faction affiliated with the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA).
A military source within the SNA told North Press that HTS sent the reinforcements through the Ghazawiyah crossing. The reinforcements, which consisted of 18 military vehicles carrying troops and ammunition, arrived at HTS posts in the village Turinde (Zarifa) and al-Mahmoudiyah neighborhood in the city of Afrin, and the town of Jindires.
The reinforcements came after tensions occurred between HTS and the Military Police, who prevented the HTS militants from entering Afrin city through the Qaws checkpoint. Consequently the HTS surrounded the checkpoint.
On Tuesday, the divisions of Sultan Suleiman Shah (al-Amshat) and Hamza, affiliated with the SNA announced withdrawing from areas in the northern and eastern countryside of Aleppo under their control following their involvement in the clashes that occurred over the al-Hamran crossing.
Sources indicated that Turkish forces had intervened to end the dispute between the parties. Meanwhile the HTS withdrew threatening to remove the checkpoint if they intercept its militants in the future.
HTS reinforcements came in tandem with a high alert status by the SNA in villages near the city of al-Bab and Jarablus in northern Aleppo following security chaos in the region.