Factional rivalry and infighting | Tahrir Al-Sham and Ahrar Al-Sham control several areas in “Olive Branch” areas amid negotiations to restore the status quo ante

SOHR activists have reported that Ahrar Al-Sham and Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham have succeeded to impose their control over several areas in “Olive Branch” area in the north-western countryside of Aleppo.

Ahrar Al-Sham and Hayyat Tahrir Al-Sham factions have taken over the areas of Al-Basutah, jendires and the villages of Al-Muhammadiyah, Al-Ghazawiyah, Qarzihil and Ain Dara, following clashes with Al-Jabha Al-Shamiyyah and Al-Sham Corps.

The village of Qarzihil has witnessed the fiercest clashes. The takeover of the areas took place in the early hours of Saturday and Sunday mornings after the arrival of convoys of Tahrir Al-Sham and Ahrar Al-Sham in the area.

Now, a cautious calm prevails in the region, amid negotiations mediated by dignitaries to make Tahrir Al-Sham and Ahrar Al-Sham convoys withdraw from the areas they controlled during the past hours north-west of Aleppo, in exchange for Ahrar Al-Sham recapturing their positions in Al-Bab, east of Aleppo.

 

Yesterday, SOHR sources reported that Al-Jabha Al-Shamiyyah faction managed to control villages, which had the majority of Kurds, in Tel Batal and Abla in Al-Bab countryside, east of Aleppo, after fierce clashes with heavy and medium machineguns erupted between splinter groups from Ahrar Al-Sham faction and Al-Jabha Al-Shamiyyah faction.

According to SOHR activists, Al-Jabha Al-Shamiyyah militiamen cordoned off the villages of Ablah and Tel Batal on Saturday morning, and then stormed the headquarters of Ahrar Al-Sham faction.

After fierce clashes, Al-Jabha Al-Shamiyyah fighters managed to control most of the headquarters of Ahrar Al-Sham and arrested a number of Ahrar al-Sham militiamen. All the fighters of the two factions withdraw to the outskirts of the villages.

Ahrar Al-Sham faction deployed their fighters in Al-Bab city, while Al-Jabha Al-Shamiyyah faction brought in large military reinforcements of tanks and heavy guns with 57 shoots from Azaz city to Al-Bab.

The reasons for the clashes, which caused the death of a militiaman of Ahrar Al-Sham and the injury of a number of other militiamen, remained unknown.

 

Yesterday, SOHR activists documented the death of seven people: three civilians and four Turkish-backed militiamen, and the injury of nine people, including children and elderly people, due to the ongoing fierce clashes among Turkish-backed factions in Aleppo countryside since early morning.

SOHR activists reported that the clashes expanded to the following nine positions: Al-Ghazzawiyah, Al-Hadath camp, Olan village, Hayy Al-Nahdah camp, Rawabi camp, Sosyan town, Barathah, Ablah and Tel Battal.

On the other hand, inhabitants of the refugee camps, which experienced clashes, appealed to open safe corridors to areas away from the conflict zones and called upon relevant authorities to interfere and break up these clashes, especially since indiscriminate gunfire killed and injured several civilians.

Moreover, rescue teams failed to reach Al-Hadath camp to relieve civilians who sustained injuries due to indiscriminate gunfire during the clashes between “Al-Jabha Al-Shamiyyah” and “Ahrar Al-Sham.”

Meanwhile, SOHR activists also reported seeing large military build-ups of Hayyaat Tahrir Al-Sham in areas under its control in the western countryside of Aleppo and near crossings separating HTS-held areas from areas under the control of the “National Army.”