HTS continues arrests of foreign fighters in Syria

IDLIB, Syria (North Press) – Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) arrested six foreign fighters, after arresting a leader of French nationality in Idlib governorate on Tuesday.  

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that HTS had arrested six foreign fighters for unknown reasons in the town of Harem in the northwestern countryside of Idlib.

On August 29, HTS arrested Omar Omsin, commander of the Ghuraba Division, in addition to five other fighters of various foreign nationalities.

The Ghuraba Division issued a statement on Tuesday announcing the arrest of its leader, Omar Omsen, along with three others, by HTS without revealing the reasons for their arrest.

The arrest came after they were summoned to an HTS court with the aim of reconciliation after a dispute with the Turkistan Islamic Party, according to the statement.

Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported that Omar Omsen (Omar Diaby) is a prominent French fighter of African descent and the leader of the Ghuraba Division.

The French group, which speaks French but no Arabic, is stationed in the town of Harem, northwest of Idlib, near the Syrian-Turkish border and operates separately.

Earlier, HTS arrested leaders and officials of splinter groups, resulting in direct confrontations between the two parties.

The latest of those arrested was journalist Bilal Abdul Karim and Abu Husam al-Britani, who works in the relief field.