Before announcing its formal attitude to Erdogan – Putin agreement…Hayyaat Tahrir Al-Sham forms 3 armies in the frame of arranging its ranks in the Syrian North
Hayyaat Tahrir Al-Sham which is one of the largest factions in the Syrian North, formed 3 major armies after integrating several battalions and sections of it, and in the details obtained by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights; the 3 armies are: “Jaysh Abu Bakr as-Siddiq” which has been formed through integrating 3 armies which are the factions of “Jaysh Idlib, Al-Badia and Hama”, and the factions of “Jaysh Aleppo and the Eastern Ghouta” has been integrated under the name “Jaysh Umar Ibn Al-Khattab”, while the 3rd army included “Jaysh Al-Sham, Al-Hudud and Al-Sahi” and called “Jaysh Uthman ibn Affan”, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned that this process of integration came as a part of arranging the ranks of Hayyaat Tahrir Al-Sham as a result of the plenty of names, brigades and battalions operating within the Hayyaat Tahrir Al-Sham especially after a large numbers of members and commanders of Hayyaat Tahrir Al-Sham came during the displacement processes witnessed in the Eastern Ghouta, Rif Dimashq, Daraa province, and the northern countryside of Homs, while this process of arranging the ranks, comes before the announcement of Hayyaat Tahrir Al-Sham about its formal attitude to the Russian – Turkish agreement about the buffer zone that was planned to be extended from Lattakia countryside to the south-western countryside of Aleppo passing through Hama and Idlib.
And the Syrian Observatory published hours ago, that the echo of the meeting that took place 2 days ago between faction leaders and the Turkish intelligence services, continues to receive different responses in the circles of the factions, where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored resentment and rejection of most of the factions operating in the Syrian North for the Turkish request of withdrawing the vehicles and heavy weapons from sites of the factions within the buffer area which was agreed upon after the Turkish – Russian meeting that was carried out on the 17th of September 2018, where the majority of these factions –although not in a public form- rejected these requests and considered them not to be in their interest, and that they are wholly in the interest of the regime and its ally, Russia, and that this is not an agreement but an injustice against the factions working in the area; to force them to retreat with their heavy weapons back while the regime forces will remain in their points supported by their heavy weapons.
The Syrian Observatory published hours ago that activists of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights so far have not monitored any withdrawal of any group of factions from their positions and points within the buffer area, which was agreed upon after the Turkish – Russian meeting that took place more than two weeks ago, and 48 hours after the Turkish intelligence meeting with leaders of the factions working in the area, while no heavy weapon withdrawals were carried out until the moment, amid resentment and disaffection among the factions after the Turkish intelligence service told them that the regime forces will not retract any step and will not pull their heavy weapon backwards. In the same context, the Syrian Observatory monitored the factions of Free Idlib Army of the National Liberation Front pulling some of its heavy artilleries like the mortars from Abu Makkah area, which is located within the buffer area, but it is not known why they guns were withdrawn yet; whether it was a start of implementing the Russian – Turkish agreement or not, the activists of the Observatory also monitored Soqur al-Sham faction of the National Liberation Front withdrawing its heavy vehicles like tanks from Jarjanaz area east of Maarrat al-Nu’man city towards Jabal al-Zawiyah, fearing any possible attack from Hayyaat Tahrir on Soqur al-Sham in the area and seizing their heavy weapons, against the backdrop of tension between both parties in the area yesterday evening, Friday, while the Syrian Observatory monitored details of the meeting that took place between the Turks and the faction leaders, where the Syrian Observatory published that the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored more details about the meetings which have been conducted between the Turkish Intelligence and factions operating in Idlib province, where reliable sources informed the Syrian Observatory that the Turkish Intelligence has informed the factions that they have to withdraw their heavy weapons to a distance of 15 to 20 km out the demilitarized area on which an agreement was reached between the Turks and the Russians, where Turkish – Russian joint patrols will be deployed in this area, also the Aleppo – Hama Road and Aleppo – Lattakia Road will be opened, while the regime forces will stay stationed at their points and they will not retreat or withdraw their heavy weapons from their current positions, and the Syrian Observatory published hours ago, that the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights continues to monitor the areas of the Syrian-Turkish truce in the provinces of Idlib, Aleppo, Hama, and Latakia, as well as the areas to be disarmed which extend in the four provinces in a form of 15-km-wide strip, will witness the withdrawal of the regime forces and their allies in addition to the rebel and Islamic factions and “jihadi” groups from half of the width of this strip, of which the “jihadi” groups control over 70% of its area, where activists of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored the rebel and Islamic factions and the “jihadist” groups not implementing any withdrawals, not with light, heavy, or even medium weapons, as these factions continue to guard their points, switch guard shifts in the areas itself, monitor the contact lines with the regime forces and their allies, and the Syrian Observatory’s activists have not monitored any movements by the regime forces in terms of withdrawing from these to-be-disarmed areas according to a Russian – Turkish agreement.
Reliable sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that meetings took place and are taking place between factions working in Idlib province and between the Turkish intelligence, about the mechanism of reaching a full consensus and impos the demilitarized area on everyone, and convince the factions which are present in this to-be-disarm area that they must withdraw their weapons to carry out the agreement approved by the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian Vladimir Putin, while the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored about 72 hours ago that the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored that the jihadist factions operating in Idlib and the Syrian North and which are in control of about 70% of the Russian – Turkish area that is decided to be established and then disarmed, are continuing to issue statements through which they reject and refuse the Russian – Turkish agreement on establishing a joint demilitarized area, extended from Lattakia Mountains to the south western countryside of Aleppo, where after the National Liberation Front’s statement through which it welcomed the agreement and considering it as “a victory for the Turkish diplomacy”, and Hurras al-Dien’s statement that considered the agreement “a conspiracy by the forces of the international evil and infidelity against the Jihadist Project”, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has received a copy of a statement issued by Ansar Al-Dien Front considering the agreement “a burial of the Shami Revolution and crowning of the disastrous path of Astana” and the statement says:
“(The statement of the Sochi agreement and the completion of burying the Shami Revolution). The Russian Turkish agreement in Sochi, was only a completion and crowning of the disastrous and purposeful path of Astana, and of the other paths that are affiliated to the Shami Revolution, to bury the Revolution and the holy Jihad of its people, through submissive solution which has been paved through: a field reality that participated in the trick of the areas of decreasing the escalation, which led to isolate the areas and eliminate the Jihad and Revolution in it and distribute the areas of influence and benefits between the occupying powers, and to a political reality represented by the writing of the constitution by the occupiers and their puppets until the elections that will reproduce the country of Al-Baath and legalize the occupation”.
The Syrian Observatory published 2 days ago that ambiguity is still surrounding the identity of the 4 persons who have appeared in a video -of which the Syrian Observatory received a copy- holding the banner of the “Islamic State” organization and setting fire to the Turkish flag, and amid this ambiguity, the consequences of broadcasting this video witnessed different accusations, as at the time in which parties accused the cells of the “Islamic Stet” organization that operate in Idlib, of setting fire to the Turkish flag and appearing in the video, accusations were directed to jihadist factions which are operating in Idlib province and close to the organization, of carrying out this burning, within the Russian – Turkish area that is decided to be established as a demilitarized area, according to an agreement between Putin and Erdogan, and this is coincided with transporting more than 400 members of the “Islamic State” organization from Al-Bokamal Desert in the west of the Euphrates River in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, to the outskirts of the eastern countryside of Idlib, who have been transported by the regime forces and the Iranian forces, this video is also coincided with escalating the fears of the citizens and the factions operating in Idlib province, of entering the 4 members of the organization by the regime forces to the Russian – Turkish area that is decided to be established as a demilitarized area, in order to facilitate their infiltration into Idlib province, and intersected sources confirmed yesterday to the Syrian Observatory that the west of the Euphrates in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, has witnessed an agreement whose parties are the regime forces and the Iranian forces on one hand, and the “Islamic State” organization on the other, and in the details obtained by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights; the regime forces and the Iranian forces transported more than 400 members of the organization yesterday evening, Sunday 23rd of September 2018, from the area of Al-Bokamal in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, which witnessed fierce clashes led by Qasem Soleimani the Commander of al-Quds Corps in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, and the transport took place in the past 24 hours, where the members have been transported from Al-Bokamal area to the eastern countryside of Idlib province, where they were transported to areas near the controlled areas of “Jihadist” factions operating in Idlib province, where they arrived today dawn, Monday the 24th of September 2018, and it is not known so far whether these 400 members managed to enter the eastern countryside of Idlib, which has been witnessing activity by cells of the organization since the 26th of April 2018, that assassinated about 315 citizens and Syrian and non-Syrian fighters and commanders, where these cells resulted in unprecedented security chaos in Idlib province, and this agreement came few days after an agreement between Turkey and Russia on establishing a demilitarized zone extends from the countryside of Lattakia to the south-western countryside Aleppo passing through both Idlib and Hama countryside, where the “jihadist” groups and Hayyaat Tahrir Al-Sham are in control of more than 70% of this area.