SOHR eyewitnesses on HTS escalating violations | HTS storm north Syrian camps to arrest wanted members
Recently, assaulting operations of HTS have increased in the camps that host displaced people to arrest wanted people by the security service and its courts on different accusations. The storming operations have crossed all the lines by repeatedly assaulting the civilians in the HTS-controlled areas in Idlib and its countryside.
SOHR activists have reported that members of the security service that is affiliated to HTS have stormed several camps in the past few days.
On September 4, HTS forces broke into al-Anadol camp in Kafrluseen in north Idlib countryside and arrested activists who were deported from Kafrnabouda town in north Hama countryside.
On September 1, HTS military patrol entered A’faat camp in Deir Hassan neighborhood in north Idlib countryside, and brought bulldozers to destroy the walls that were built by the displaced people around their houses.
HTS also stormed khir al-Sham camp located in Kally town in north Idlib countryside on August 17 with number of military vehicles and hit some of the camp displaced people including an old lady when they attempted to prevent the advancement of the HTS-conducted arrests.
In the same day, HTS assaulted al-Hamaday and al-Bashair camps. The operation coincided with heavy shooting and acts of terrorizing the displaced and arrest of three young men on alleged claims of being wanted by the security service. The operation provoked the people in the camps who believed that the HTS moves are similar to that of the regime.
The deported people reject such repeated assaults and consider it as violation of the camps sanctity and their special conditions where the women and children are threatened to get killed or wounded in the shooting operations where they feel terrified due to the oppressive way of HTS bids of arrests.
In his testimony for SOHR, A.M. who is displaced from Sahal al-Ghab in west Hama countryside and lives in one Kollaly camps in north Idlib countryside said, “the repetition of such incidents means HTS is losing its security fist and enter direct confrontations with the civilians. No one will accept terrorizing of kids and violating the sanctity of camps in that savage was by HTS security members.”
He added, regardless the reasons of arresting the civilians especially the activists and the young men who were former members of different factions, such assaults are absolutely rejected and HTS should send request of arrest to the wanted person to make the camps and its residents avoiding such fears and clashes with the HTS.
HTS recently followed sudden storming operations in search for the wanted. A.M. added the forces come in late hours while all the people are sleeping and start to shoot without considering the conditions of the displaced people.
Meanwhile, H.A., an old lady from north Hama countryside and lives in one of Deir Hassan camps in north Idlib countryside, expressed her sorrow for the conditions in the camps which are described as tyranny and unfairness.
She told SOHR, “the displaced people have fled the tyranny of regime forces and its warplanes to become enslaved by HTS that practices all kinds of terrorizing and arrests without holding the perpetrators accountable.”
The old lady added that “assaulting the inhabited camps is unlogic. Though HTS is claiming to abide by the religion norms and rules, its actions are completely against Islamic Sharia. HTS should be keen on considering the conditions of the displaced people and cares for their interests not to terrorize them in camps.”
On the other hand, H.A. stressed that all civilians should stand against the tyranny practiced by HTS in the camps of displaced people and worsening living conditions.
It is worth noting HTS that controls wide areas of Idlib and its countryside and western Aleppo countryside and western Hama has escalated recently its arrests of civilians and activists especially in the displacement camps along the border line with Turkey and other different areas in east and east Idlib countryside.