Turkey ends infighting between SNA factions and Tahrir al-Sham
ALEPPO, Syria (North Press) – In a meeting with the Turkish forces, Turkish-backed opposition SNA factions, operating in areas north of Aleppo, reached an agreement with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra) on Tuesday to return to the situation it was before the recent clashes.
They also agreed upon releasing all prisoners detained on both sides.
On May 17, violent clashes erupted between Ahrar al-Sham faction and the Third Legion led by the Levant Front, north of Aleppo. With the development of the clashes, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham took side with Ahrar al-Sham in the countryside of Afrin and took control of several areas.
“Turkish intelligence met in the Afrin region, north of Aleppo, with leaders of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and other SNA factions, with the aim of resolving disputes between the two parties,” a military source in the National Liberation Front told North Press.
“The meeting ended this afternoon with an agreement to directly release all prisoners on both sides of the conflict, cancel the so-called reconciliation committee formed by the SNA factions, and cancel all decisions issued by them related to Ahrar al-Sham faction,” the source added.
The file was fully referred to the Turkish side, and the latter gave orders that all factions must return to their positions before the clashes in the north and east of Aleppo, especially the Afrin region.
Other sources, however, said that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which took control of the villages of Basoufan, Favertin, and Kabashin, south of Afrin, began to withdraw towards its areas of control in Idlib. Sham Legion members, in turn, returned to those villages that they withdrew from yesterday.
Turkey has occupied the city of Afrin and its countryside since March 2018, following a military invasion by the Turkish forces and their affiliated SNA factions called “Olive Branch”. Since then, the region has gone through killing incidents, trees’ cutting and arrests.
These areas also continue to witness a state of insecurity accompanied by explosions and infighting between the SNA factions over property of the indigenous people, amid the factions’ inability to maintain the security.