IDLIB, Syria (North Press) – Residents, activists, and leaders of armed groups in northwestern Syria have different viewpoints regarding the recent entry of dozens of Turkish military convoys into opposition-held areas in the Idlib and Aleppo countryside.
These viewpoints are based on reading and studying in light of the inability of local political and military parties to recognize the contents of the Russian-Turkish agreements that control the delineation of areas of influence in the region.
Possible clash
Colonel Mustafa Bakour, a spokesman for the Army of Glory (Jaysh al-Izza) armed opposition group, told North Press that the Turkish forces deployed in the Idlib countryside “are combat forces, not peacekeepers or observers.”
He expected that a military clash between the Syrian government forces and the Turkish forces would take place “in the event that the regime crosses the lines drawn according to the Astana and Sochi agreements.”
Syrian armed opposition groups are not informed of any of the contents of the agreements between Turkey and Russia until they become a fait accompli on the ground, according to Bakour.
Bakour does not rule out that the “next military clash” will be concentrated in the Zawiya Mountain area, which is witnessing a massive deployment of Turkish forces.
He indicated that Turkey is seeking to “stabilize the current situation as it is” through the deployment of guard posts and troops.
Khaled al-Khaddour (a pseudonym), a member of the Civil Defense (White Helmets), said that he was “disappointed by the deployment of these unreliable points.”
He added that the Turkish points were also present when the government and Russian forces launched a military operation early in 2020.
“At the time, the points were satisfied with watching without moving a finger […] until they themselves were bombed and besieged,” al-Khaddour noted.
During the past few months, the Turkish army evacuated its previous points in government-held areas towards the Zawiya Mountain area.
Turkish interests
Some residents and activists see Turkish reinforcements as a protection of secret agreements that define areas of influence, and that Turkey seeks to preserve Zawiya Mountain and the vicinity of the M4 Highway.
Others see that Turkey is ready for any concessions, as long as they serve its goals in the area or the countries that have interfered in its internal conflicts during 2020.
Local journalist Shahoud Jaddou’ said that the deployment of these points comes after the lifting of the siege of the Turkish points by withdrawing them.
He believes that these reinforcements “will guarantee a future response to any attempt by the government and Russian forces on what is left of the region.”
Salem al-Rahmoun, an IDP from the city of Ma’arat al-Numan, believes that Turkey is only interested in “achieving its interests by recruiting the groups in its favor and promoting them as mercenaries in Libya and Azerbaijan.”
Al-Rahmoun believes that Turkey is ready to cede new areas in Idlib in exchange for its powers to intervene in the Kurdish-held areas on its borders.