Infighting erupts between Turkish-backed groups in northwest Syria’s Idlib, casualties reported

IDLIB, Syria (North Press) – Sporadic clashes erupted between the newly-formed Syrian opposition affiliated Fathbatu (Holdout) Operations Room and the Turkish-backed Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS, formerly al-Qaeda affiliated al-Nusra Front) in the area of Arab Saeed near the Syrian northwestern city of Idlib, local sources said on Wednesday.

Several people were injured in the clashes, including civilians, locals told North Press on condition of anonymity.

The Turkish-held Idlib region has been witnessing a growing tension and infighting few days ago between both groups, though the groups establishment aimed at confronting the Syrian government forces.

The tension between Syrian opposition affiliated HTS and the operations room, both of which are backed by Turkey, increased in the past two weeks over interests and ruling areas of Idlib province.

On Tuesday, violent clashes erupted between both groups after HTS militants abducted two security leaders from the operation room group, Abu Malik al-Tali and Abu Husam al-Britani.

HTS arrested the British militant al-Britani on the charge of being an administrator in the Jihad Coordination Group combating under the leadership of Abu al-Abd Ashidaa, who recently joined the operation room.

HTS detained Abu Malek al-Tali, who split from HTS in April in opposition to a Turkish-Russian deal which had halted a Syrian government offensive against Idlib earlier this year.  

The Operation Room militants then took over the central prison of Idlib after heavy clashes with HTS.

The militants also took control over two HTS military checkpoints in the outskirts of the city of Jisr al-Shughur in Idlib province on Wednesda, no casualties reported.

(Editing by Hisham Arafat)