After Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham expanded its control greatly, the fight for influence continues between it and factions on the borders of the west Aleppo and Afrin living prisoners and casualties

The clashes continue in areas at the northwestern countryside of Aleppo and the northern countryside of Idlib, between Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham against factions operating in the area, where the fight is concentrated in areas north of Darat Azza and Basoufan, and Atma area at the border with Iskenderun north of Idlib, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned that Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham managed to regain control of a site controlled by the factions north of Darat Azza hours ago, while Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham captured a fighter from the factions, at a time when the factions captured 4 members of Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham, while exchange of targeting is taking place between both parties using shells and heavy machine guns, and the Syrian Observatory documented the killing of a local leader of the factions during the clashes in the area, and confirmed information about more casualties and injuries in the ranks of both parties, and the Syrian Observatory published a few hours ago that The clashes outbroke again in the 9th day since it began with the start of this year 2019, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned that clashes of varying violence are taking place in areas in the vicinity and outskirts of Atma area in the northern sector of Idlib countryside at the border with Iskenderun, and in the northern section of Darat Azza in the northwestern sector of Aleppo countryside, between Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham against factions operating in the area, accompanied by an exchange of shelling and targeting, which caused material damage in the property of civilians and injured two civilians as well, while the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights received information that the factions managed to control Tallat al-Syriatel north of Darat Azza, and the clashes caused casualties in the ranks of both parties, and the Syrian Observatory published hours ago that Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham carried out a raid in Darat Azza town, which it recently controlled in the western countryside of Aleppo, where it raided houses of former members of Nour al-Dien al-Zenki faction and activists in the town, but no information has been received yet about arrests, while the cautious calm still prevails the fighting areas in the countryside of Idlib and Hama, in conjunction with the continued alertness and mobilization of both parties for fear of continuing the fighting at any moment of today, Wednesday, the 9th of January 2018, and the Syrian Observatory monitored large-scale raids carried out by Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham in most of the areas it controlled in Sahl al-Ghab at the northwestern countryside of Hama, and in the same context, several reliable sources confirmed that meetings took place in Jabal Shashabo and Sahl al-Ghab areas; between Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham and representatives of the area and factions controlling the area, in order to hand over the areas to Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham which control most of these sectors, also the Syrian Observatory received information that groups of Ahrar Sham in Sahl al-Ghab agreed with Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham on:

“The dissolution of the movement of Ahrar Sham in al-Ghab and Jabal Shashabo, and the dependency of the area will be for the Rescue Government in the administrative and service aspects, and arranging the Ribat and military actions under the supervision of Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham, and delivering heavy and medium weapons to Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham while retaining the individual weapon in the hands of former members of the movement, and those who want to stays or want Ribat in the area can stay; and who wants to get out to areas of “Olive Branch” can get out in coordination with Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham, and the headquarters of Shaer and al-Shamali remains in the hands of the brothers who are committed to Ribat, and Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham ensures that no person will be prosecuted of those who participated in the fight at Sahl al-Ghab area and Jabal Shashabo”

The Syrian Observatory published on Tuesday evening that Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored the continued calm in the southern sector of Idlib countryside and the north-west of Hama province, after the decline of the bloody fighting between Hayyaat Tahrir Al-Sham against the National Liberation Front, within the war that is being witnessed in the area in an attempt by Hayyaat Tahrir Al-Sham to expand its influence greatly, and the Syrian Observatory monitored in the recent hours, a process of releasing prisoners, captives and abductees by Hayyaat Tahrir Al-Sham, of those it captured and detained against the backdrop of the fighting, along with releasing persons detained by the National Liberation Front, while the contact areas between the both parties are witnessing a state of alertness as a result of fears of renewing the fighting in early morning, and the Syrian Observatory published hours ago, that it monitored the decline of the violent clashes between fighting parties in the countryside of the provinces of Idlib and Hama, where the Syrian Observatory monitored the clashes decrease to the extent of calm, between Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham against the rebel and Islamic factions of the National Liberation Front, after violent clashes that led -before its decline- to the control of Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham on al-Hbit town which is located in the southern countryside of Idlib, extended its control to 20 villages and towns during its offensive on Tuesday, the 8th of January, which was accompanied by exchange of shelling and targeting that caused more casualties, and the Syrian Observatory published hours ago that Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham continues to control areas in the countryside of Idlib and Hama, in the context of the continuous attacks launched since the dawn of Tuesday, the 8th of January 2018, on areas of control and positions of the National Liberation Front factions, where Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham managed to control more than 19 areas in the sectors of Hama and Idlib, they are: al-Naqir, Abdeen, Arinbeh, Stuh al-Deir, Tremla, Rasha, Baarbu, Qassabiyyeh, Kawkaba al-Qasira, Kawkaba al-Tawilah, Flifel, Harshi Abdeen, and al-Hbit in Jabal Shashabo and in Jabal al-Zawiyah and the southern countryside of Idlib, in addition to al-Ankawi, Deqmaq, Zaqqum, and Qlidin, and al-Qahira in Sahl al-Ghab at the northwestern countryside of Hama, where the areas of Rasha, Sfuhen, Ankawi, Tremla, al-Hbit, and Abdeen witnessed violent clashes between both parties and caused casualties, while Tahrir al-Sham was able to control the rest of the areas through either withdrawals of the National Liberation Front or as a result of the absence of any faction, and the Syrian Observatory documented casualties during the bloody clashes which was renewed at dawn of today between both parties of the conflict, where 3 members of Ahrar Al-Sham movement were killed, while 7 members of Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham were killed, in addition to the capture of about 20 fighters of the National Front, and the death toll is expected to rise because there are some people in critical situation, in addition to information about the death of others.

These violent military operations by Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham, and its fight against the National Liberation Front come a continuation of the bloody clashes since the 1st of January 2019, Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham was able after which to end the existence of the movement of Nour al-Din al-Zenki, and expel it to Afrin area in the northwestern sector of Aleppo countryside, where it took over after 26 cities, towns, and villages including 10 cities and towns including the city of Atareb and Darat Azza town, which are the largest inhabited communities in the western sector of Aleppo countryside, while the heavy shelling, clashes, and exchange of targeting between both parties caused large number of casualties, where the Syrian Observatory documented since the 1st of January until the 5th of it the death of at least 61 members of Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham, 58 of Nour al-Din al-Zenki fighters, and 8 civilians including a nurse and 3 children in Idlib and Aleppo countryside.

Raising to about 50, the number of areas that Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham took over during 8 days of bloody fighting, where Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham expanded its control at the expense of factions of the National Liberation Front, which were unable to repel the attacks of Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham, while the bloody clashes have caused the death of 68 fighters Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham, also the Syrian Observatory documented the death of 61 fighters of the National Liberation Front, in addition to 8 civilians including 3 children and a nurse, and in the clashes between the National Liberation Front and between Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham; tens of fighters of both parties were wounded and captured, and the death toll is expected to rise because there are some people in critical situation.The Syrian Observatory published yesterday Friday that as the bloody clashes continue between the factions in the Syrian north, Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham and the National Liberation Front, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights received a copy of a statement issued by the “Shura Council of Scholars in al-Sham”, which declared 3 years ago in a statement that the “Syria Democratic Forces who declared war against the jihadi revolutionary factions in Syria” is a traitorous faction of Allah, his messenger, and the believers, and the they are an agent for the enemy of the religion and the nation, must be fought and warn the nation of their project,” and the statement that the Syrian Observatory received says:

“Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham exceeded all Sharia, legal, and moral limits and spread corruption in the land, gone so far with its aggression and oppression against the people and the country, and disturbed the displaced people and the residents, where the far and near, and scholar and the ignorant have hated it, and the Allah has taken its love from the hearts of the Syrian people, and it became an unbearable burden on the revolution and the rebels, knowing that it did not respond and accept the rule of Sharia in what happened, and that the opposite faction has responded to the rule, accepted it, and handed over all what was required by the court and has been agreed upon, so, the Shura Council of Scholars in al-Sham confirms and supports the statement of the Syrian Islamic Council last issued against it on the 27th of Rabea al-Akhr 1440, corresponding to the 3rd  of January 2019, in which the Council confirmed 3 things, and the Shura Council of Scholars confirms them again, as follows:

It stresses the Sharia necessity that all factions -without exception, and the first of which factions of the National Front and the National Army- must stand united in the face of Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham, and form one operating room to defeat its aggression and oppression, the Sharia duty requires members of Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham to immediately defect of it and join the ranks of the rebels, or at least, to stay in their homes and not to kill the soul that ALLAH has forbidden to be killed, and the Shari need for all the revolutionary to stand up, of bodies, popular and civil revolutionary movement, local councils, unions, tribes, media activists, and others, to stand against the injustice and criminality of Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham, by all means possible and available, and above all; to demonstrate against them in their cities and villages.”

The statement continued:

“We address in this statement members of Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham, saying to them: forget what they say, drop your weapon, and keep your strength away of the displaced people who were displaced by the betrayal of your faction, and here you are killing them with the bullets of your leaders’ recklessness, drop your weapon, for you are not fighting to remove injustice or to raise the religion, you are fighting for their own crossings, their cars, their provinces, drop your weapon, go back to your home, and live as a hungry poor for that is better for you than to meet ALLAH with the blood of innocent on your hands, drop your weapon, do not believe them they lie to you when they say that you will have the reward of 2 martyrs if you were killed, put down your weapon and repent to your lord, you may not have time after this day to repent.”

The so-called “Syrian Islamic Council” yesterday a statement denouncing the “oppression and aggression” of Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham in the Syrian north, and the Syrian Observatory received a copy of the statement which stated:“Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham “al-Nusra Front” has been addicted to the oppression and aggression against the Free Army battalions, and the killing and capture of free civilians, where its leadership does not deter by religion or manners of committing atrocities and bloodshed, where Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham has fought more than 15 of military Jihadi factions, which weakened the front against the criminal Assad regime, and each time it refuses to go to an independent Islamic court in any dispute between itself and other factions, instead, it fights as if it is the legitimate ruler of the area in the way of the oppression and aggression Khawarij, who have been a plagued in this nation a long time ago, at a time where the Free Army factions are preparing for the battle of liberating Manbij form the hands of the separatist gangs; Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham launched its latest aggression in some of the liberated areas of the western countryside of Aleppo, and the Syrian Islamic Council would like to refer to the following:

We call on all factions of the Free Army to stand united to defeat this despicable Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham, so that it cannot return to its aggression again.

We call the young fighters in Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham to keep away from them, so they do not become fuel of clashes in which innocent lives and blood are shed.

We call on all revolutionary bodies and all the free supporters of the revolution to demonstrate and protest against the sinful act and brutal aggression of Tahrir al-Sham Organization.”