QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Conflict between Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS – formerly al-Nusra Front) and factions affiliated with Turkey in the northern and northeastern countryside of Aleppo, north Syria, seemed to be solved following days of clashes.
On June 18, clashes erupted between the HTS and Harakat Ahrar al-Sham al-Islamiyya on one hand, and the Third Legion which consists of Jaysh al-Islam (Army of Islam) and Levant Front (al-Jabha al-Shamiya), affiliated with the SNA, on the other in the cities of al-Bab, Jarablus and Afrin in Aleppo northern and northeastern countryside which led to the killing of seven individuals and the injury of more than 15.
Both parties agreed to halt the armed clashes, and to withdraw from the villages they seized during the clashes, in addition to the release of all arrestees.
The clashes first erupted in the countryside of al-Bab, then they extended to Jarablus, east of Aleppo, but there were no clashes in Afrin, north of Aleppo, where the HTS seized villages which were under the control the Turkish-backed armed opposition factions, also known as Syria Notional Army (SNA), according to an exclusive source.
The cities of al-Bab and Jarablus have been under the control of the Turkish-backed SNA factions since 2016-2017 following the “Euphrates Shield” Turkish operation. However, they continue to witness a state of security chaos, accompanied by explosions and continuous fighting, amid the factions’ inability to maintain security.
A military source told North Press that the HTS entered the villages of Basoufan, Faferteen and Kabashin in the southern countryside of Afrin without any clashes with Sham Legion, affiliated with the SNA, which controls the southern border of Afrin.
In an exclusive statement to North Press, the opposition military expert, Ahmad Rahhal, said that what happened during the past days was an “unexpected” and raised doubt about the role of Turkey in paving the way for the HTS to advance to Afrin.
Following the ongoing clashes between the two parties, the SNA closed the crossings of Deir Ballout-Atmeh and Ghazawiya-Darat Izza which link Afrin region with Idlib Governorate.
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 security chaos, instability and fighting among the factions.
“The failure of the SNA to control the security situation in Afrin during the past three years is because of the failure of the Turks themselves, as the latter relied on unqualified SNA leaders who failed to provide security,” Rahhal said.
The closure of the crossings came in tandem with violent clashes in al-Bab and Jarablus regions between the factions.
Following the crossings’ closure, the HTS mobilized its forces and brought in a military convoy that included tanks and heavy machine guns, and took full control of the Ghazawiya-Darat Izza, following clashes with the Third Legion.
After that, the HTS headed towards Afrin, and violent clashes took place between the two parties in the village of Kerzayhel in the southern countryside of Afrin, amid reports of civilian casualties.
This prompted the SNA factions to block the Afrin-Azaz and Afrin-Idlib roads amid military mobilization of the Third Legion in Afrin and Azaz, according to a military source from the region.
In light of rising tension, a high-ranking Turkish military delegation interfered and an unannounced agreement was reached between the factions, stipulating the cessation of the clashes in Afrin countryside, and that both parties must withdraw to the pre-clashes positions.
However, the source said that the HTS mobilized hundreds of its militants in those villages which are on the contact lines with positions of Syrian government forces in Aleppo northern countryside.
An exclusive source from Afrin told North Press that the SNA factions have been mobilizing in the village of Basouta, south of Afrin, since Monday.