HTS hands over government officer to Turkish authorities
IDLIB, Syria (North Press) – On Sunday, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) handed over an officer of the Syrian government forces to Turkish authorities, marking the second handover operation in December.
An administrative source at the Bab al-Hawa border crossing in northern Idlib, northwestern Syria, reported that the General Security Service (GSS) of HTS held a meeting with Turkish intelligence on Sunday. During the meeting, GSS leaders Abu Ahmad Hudud and al-Maghira al-Badawi, who is a relative of HTS top leader Abu Muhammad al-Julani, handed over a government forces officer named Kinan Juqa.
The source said that Juqa was an officer in the government’s State Security Branch in Hama Governorate, central Syria, adding that he had been in HTS custody for 18 months.
The handover of officer Juqa took place in accordance with a pre-existing agreement between Turkish intelligence and the GSS. This deal outlines the transfer of a list of government officers within a specific timetable.